Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said last month that the “necessary judicial procedures” must be completed before any other steps can be taken. The disclosure in July that the U.S. government was seeking a prisoner swap involving Griner reflected the growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring her home. The U.S. State Department had earlier declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected. When she took the stand at her trial July 7, Griner said: “I would like to plead guilty on the charges against me. Details of the proposal were not announced, though a person familiar with the matter said the U.S. has offered to trade convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Whelan and Griner.

Source: ABC News August 04, 2022 15:04 UTC