While the US got a basketball player that can't stop being high for too long to not risk a foriegn prison.
Apparently, the US also wanted an ex-marine but looks like he was left to rot for the virtue signal. I doubt Viktor's contacts are still active after nearly a decade but it's more showing that being loyal to Russia means they will get you back eventually is good PR for them.
Edit: Thought I'd add this on as credit to MagnumRabbits who brought up something that I overlooked. What are the two things Russia is having issues with:
Weapons supply
Sanctions and embargoes
This man, just this man if he still has his golden touch, could negate a lot of the impact for BOTH of these issues, Biden just traded Russia's Oppenheimer for a knock-off LeBron James.
The US govt's objective is not to end the war in Ukraine, but to extend it as long as possible in order to launder more money though the Ukrainian jews. This accomplishes those goals quite well.
Depends, if he mostly funnels better firearms then yeah this might prolong the war
If he funnels a lot of drones to Russia, suddenly Ukraine's scared of blue skies and their troops begin to get pinned in, perfect for a missile or artillery strike.