Wrong target, Griner is an addendum to Paul Whelan who is the jailed operative the US really wants back.
But for Viktor Bout in return? meh, no deal.
Word has it the Russians are really keen for return their operative Vadim Krasikov who gunned a Chechen mobster in Berlin, Tornike Kavtarashvili.
Krasikov was convicted of murder in Germany and sentenced for life.
Dead Chechen Tornike Kavtarashvili is said to have been behind the Moscow Metro bombings in 2004. (I lived in Moscow in 2004, I remember well)
So what the Russians really want is the return of their guy in German prison, which presents certain logistical longitudinal problems for the US of A. If Viktor Bout gets thrown into the bargain, so be it.
This could take quite a while to unfold.
A couple of links: https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2019/12/11/83113-russia-explained-14-by-novaya-gazeta
https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-berlin-chechen-killing-russia/31609911.html
Wrong target, Griner is an addendum to Paul Whelan who is the jailed operative the US really wants back.
But for Viktor Bout in return? meh, no deal.
Word has it the Russians are really keen for return their operative Vadim Krasikov who gunned a Chechen mobster in Berlin, Tornike Kavtarashvili.
Krasikov was convicted of murder in Germany and sentenced for life.
Dead Chechen Tornike Kavtarashvili is said to have been behind the Moscow Metro bombings in 2004. (I lived in Moscow in 2004, I remember well)
So what the Russians really want is the return of their guy in German prison, which presents certain logistical longitudinal problems for the US of A. If Viktor Bout gets thrown into the bargain, so be it.
This could take quite a while to unfold.