Canada Global (Web News) According to Top US official and media reports, Moscow’s demand for the release of a murderer detained in Germany foiled US efforts to negotiate the freedom of a former Marine incarcerated in Russia as part of the exchange involving basketball player Brittney Griner.
The topic of why the US side had failed to gain the simultaneous release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine suspected by Moscow of spying—a charge Washington categorically denies—was raised in the wake of the exchange of Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
John Kirby, the national security spokesman for the White House, was questioned on Sunday over claims that talks broke down due to a demand for Vadim Krasikov’s release.
“There was a claim that they sought an individual named Mr. Krasikov, who the Germans have detained in jail,” Kirby admitted on ABC’s “This Week.”
The offer just wasn’t taken seriously, according to Kirby, who called Krasikov “an assassin.”
Krasikov’s inclusion in any arrangement, according to Kirby, was “a bad-faith attempt (by Moscow) to avoid a very serious offer” from the US side, he had told CNN in late July.
