U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday they’re willing to pursue talks on a prisoner exchange involving WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American.
The two top diplomats spoke separately on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, a day after a Moscow court sentenced Griner to nine years in prison on drug charges. They didn’t meet or speak in person during the conference. President Joe Biden called Griner’s punishment “unacceptable” and said the White House would work tirelessly in pursuit of her release.
“There is a special channel agreed upon by the presidents,” Lavrov told a news conference. “Whatever is said publicly, that channel is still open.”
