美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯(Antony Lavrov)周三宣布，他将在“未来几天”与俄罗斯外长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫(Sergey Lavrov)通电话，这将是两人首次通话自乌克兰战争开始以来并将成为两国间重新开启高层外交渠道的有意义的一步。
布林肯在新闻发布会上告诉记者，讨论的一个关键话题将是确保WNBA巨星的自由布兰妮·格里纳前海军陆战队员保罗·惠兰，两人都被关押在俄罗斯。
部长透露，美国已经提出了一项计划来实现这一目标，并希望在他们的案件上取得突破。
三名熟悉该提议的消息人士向美国广播公司证实，美国曾提议交换被定罪的军火商维克托·布特，以确保格林纳和惠兰从俄罗斯获释。(CNN第一个报道这个计划。)
俄罗斯尚未对这一提议做出回应。
布林肯和白宫发言人约翰·柯比都不愿证实细节，只是重申此类案件非常微妙，需要在国家安全利益和保护海外美国人的重要性之间取得平衡。
“[他们]被错误拘留必须被允许回家，”布林肯说几周前，我们提出了一项实质性的建议，以促进他们的释放。我们两国政府已经就该提议进行了反复和直接的沟通，我将利用这次对话亲自跟进，我希望我们能够达成一项决议。"
当被反复问及该提议的具体细节时，布林肯拒绝透露更多信息。
布林肯说:“你会明白，我不能也不会谈论过去几周我们向俄罗斯人提出的建议的任何细节。”。“我能说的是:首先，正如我提到的，我们已经在多个场合直接向俄罗斯官员传达了这一点。我的希望是，通过与拉夫罗夫外长的交谈，我可以推动将他们带回家的努力。”
“我的兴趣和我的重点是确保，尽我们最大的能力，我们得到肯定，”他说。
一个潜在的关键人物是布特，这位前俄罗斯军火商正在服25年徒刑，被媒体戏称为“死亡商人”美国提出用他来交换格林纳和惠兰。在周三的提议宣布之前，官员们向ABC新闻表示，一轮交易是一个潜在的选择。
布特的律师阿尔伯特·达扬告诉美国广播公司新闻，他欢迎这项交易:“我鼓励美国和俄罗斯两国政府在这些特殊情况下同意交换。特别是因为布特先生已经服了大部分刑期。”达扬说，他当事人“在单独监禁中度过了很长时间”
布林肯周三承认囚犯交易有先例。
“我们向几个月前回国的特雷弗·里德表明，如果这意味着美国人安全返回，总统准备做出艰难的决定，”布林肯对记者说，他指的是这位前海军陆战队员在被交换到康斯坦丁·雅罗申科之前被关押在俄罗斯，后者因毒品走私在美国服刑20年。
布林肯说，乔·拜登总统在为格林纳和惠兰起草提案的过程中发挥了积极作用。
布林肯说:“他不仅直接参与——我们提出的任何建议都由他签字同意。”。“当然，当涉及到被拘留在国外的美国人时，包括本案。”
没有直接迹象表明俄国准备同意一项关于其被拘留者的提议，克里姆林宫继续暗示它首先希望看到格林纳的审判完全结束。许多专家估计至少还有一个月的时间。虽然格林纳本月早些时候承认有罪，但针对她的案件仍在继续。
在周三下午的单独声明中，格林纳的律师和惠兰的家人都表示，他们对美国的计划感到有些惊讶。
“和你一样，我们今天了解到更多关于美国政府试图让保罗和布兰妮·格里纳从俄罗斯政府的非法拘留中获释的情况。我们的家庭感谢拜登政府利用现有资源寻求保罗的释放。我们希望俄罗斯政府响应美国政府，接受这项或其他一些让步，使保罗能够回家与家人团聚，”惠兰的孪生兄弟大卫惠兰在一份声明中说。
“希望将来不会再有其他美国人被俄罗斯政府错误地关押。越快越好，”大卫·惠兰说。
Griner的律师Maria Blagovolina说，“辩护小组从新闻中得知了美国的提议”，“没有参与交换的讨论”。从法律角度来看，只有在法院做出判决后，交换才有可能。无论如何，如果布兰妮能回家，我们真的会很高兴，希望能尽快回家。”
惠兰从海军陆战队退役后在企业安全部门工作，他在俄罗斯被判犯有间谍罪，对此他和美国都予以否认。格林纳被逮捕，后来承认非法携带印度大麻油入境，尽管她说这是“无意的”，是她vape弹药筒的一部分。
白宫发言人柯比和布林肯一样，在周三的另一场新闻发布会上对格林纳和惠兰守口如瓶。
“为了减少成功的机会，我们显然不能公开更多关于这笔交易的信息。我相信你们都对这看起来像什么有疑问。我相信你们都能理解，如果我们公开谈判，这不会帮助我们让他们回家。
Kirby尽力让自己远离任何细节-当一名记者提出“交换”的特征时，他拒绝回答-当被问及在这样的交易中包括Bout是否“明智”时，他拒绝回答。
虽然重点是让那些被拘留者获得自由，但柯比强调，平衡必须包括一个考虑，即“我们自己的国家安全得到保护，我们不鼓励未来发生劫持人质事件。”
柯比还被问及为什么美国现在公开这一提议，以及这是否是为了给俄罗斯施加压力。
“考虑到这些问题的敏感性，考虑到你想要实现的最终结果，谈论这些问题的决定不是轻易做出的。我们仔细考虑了每一步，”他说。
就布林肯而言，自1月份以来，他一直没有与拉夫罗夫说过话，事实上，也没有与任何俄罗斯高级官员说过话，当时美国试图阻止俄罗斯入侵乌克兰，他们陷入了一系列会谈。
本月早些时候在印度尼西亚举行的20国集团峰会期间，两人曾共处一室，但没有直接接触。
布林肯当时被问及，如果冻结拉夫罗夫，是否有必要为美国人在俄罗斯被错误拘留付出代价。
“问题是这样的:我们没有看到任何迹象表明俄罗斯准备进行有意义的外交，”他回应道，并补充说，如果美国发现克里姆林宫的转变，它会抓住这个机会。
然而，周三，他表示乐观，认为他即将与拉夫罗夫的通话将是富有成效的。
“在我看来，就我们的关键优先事项向俄罗斯人传达明确、直接的信息是有用的，”他说。
“我们在每种情况下都会做出判断，”他说。“我认为重要的是要明确，在这些问题上——我们的美国公民被拘留，世界因俄罗斯入侵乌克兰而面临的粮食危机，以及俄罗斯现在不得不寻求吞并乌克兰领土的计划——我们的俄罗斯同行直接从我这里听到了这些。”
尽管如此，他说，“我与拉夫罗夫外长的通话不会是关于乌克兰的谈判。关于乌克兰的任何谈判都应由其政府和人民决定。正如我们从一开始就说过的，没有乌克兰就没有乌克兰。”
US proposes releasing Russian arms dealer to free Griner and Whelan: Sources
In a sharp reversal, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that he will hold a call with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov "in the coming days," which will mark the first time the two have spokensince the war in Ukraine beganand will be a meaningful step toward reopening high-level diplomatic channels between the two countries.
Blinken told reporters during a press briefing that a critical topic of discussion will be securing the freedom of WNBA superstarBrittney Grinerand former MarinePaul Whelan, both of whom are held in Russia.
The secretary revealed that the U.S. has already put forward a plan to accomplish that and is hopeful for a breakthrough on their cases.
Three sources familiar with the offer confirmed to ABC News that the U.S. had proposed exchanging convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout in order to secure Griner and Whelan's release from Russia. (CNNwas first to reportthis plan.)
Russia has not yet responded to the offer.
Neither Blinken nor White House spokesman John Kirby would confirm details -- only reiterating that such cases were delicate, requiring the balance of national security interests with the importance of protecting Americans abroad.
"[They]have been wrongly detainedand must be allowed to come home," Blinken said. "We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal, and I'll use the conversation to follow up personally and I hope move us toward a resolution."
Asked repeatedly about the specifics of the proposal, Blinken declined to shed much more light.
"You'll understand that I can't and won't get into any of the details of what we've proposed to the Russians over the course of some many weeks now," Blinken said. "Here's what I can say: First, as I mentioned, we've conveyed this on a number of occasions and directly to Russian officials. And my hope would be that in speaking to Foreign Minister Lavrov, I can advance the efforts to bring them home."
"My interest and my focus is making sure that, to the best of our ability, we get to yes," he said.
A potentially key figure in this is Bout -- the former Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence,dubbed the "Merchant of Death" by the media, whom the U.S. offered to swap for both Griner and Whelan. Before Wednesday's proposal was announced, officials had indicated to ABC News that a Bout trade was one potential option.
Bout's attorney Albert Dayan told ABC News that he welcomed a deal: "I encourage both of the governments, United Sates and Russia, in these particular cases to agree to the exchange. Especially since Mr. Bout has already served more than the majority of his sentence." Dayan said his client had spend "much time in solitary confinement."
Blinken on Wednesday acknowledged there was precedent for prisoner trades.
"We demonstrated with Trevor Reed, who came home some months ago, that the president is prepared to make tough decisions if it means the safe return of Americans," Blinken told reporters, referring to the former Marine jailed in Russia before he was exchanged for Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was serving a 20-year sentence in the U.S. for drug smuggling.
Blinken said that President Joe Biden played an active role in crafting the proposal for Griner and Whelan.
"He was not only directly involved -- he signs off on any proposal that we make," Blinken said. "Certainly when it comes to Americans who are detained abroad, including in this case."
There were no immediate indications that Russia was ready to agree to a proposal over its detainees and the Kremlin continues to suggest it first wants to see Griner's trial play out in full. Many experts estimate there is at least a month to go. While Griner pleaded guilty earlier this month, the case against her proceeds.
In separate statements on Wednesday afternoon, both Griner's lawyers and Whelan's family said they were somewhat surprised to learn of the U.S. plan.
"Like you, we are learning more today about the U.S. government's attempts to secure Paul, and Brittney Griner's, release from wrongful detention by the Russian government. Our family appreciates the Biden administration seeking Paul's release using the resources it has available. We hope the Russian government responds to the U.S. government and accepts this or some other concession that enables Paul to come home to his family," Whelan's twin brother, David Whelan, said in a statement.
"Hopefully no other American will be wrongfully held by the Russian government in the future. The sooner the better," David Whelan said.
Paul Whelan, a former US marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia in December 2018, stands inside a defendants' cage as he waits to hear his verdict in Moscow on June 15, 2020.
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
An attorney for Griner, Maria Blagovolina, said the "defense team learned about [the] U.S. offer from the news" and "is not participating in the swap discussions. From the legal perspective, the swap is possible only after the court reaches a verdict. In any case, we would be really happy if Brittney will be able to come home and hope it will be soon."
Whelan, who worked in corporate security after being discharged from the Marines, was convicted in Russia of espionage -- which he and the U.S. deny. Griner was arrested and later pleaded to illegally bringing hashish oil into the country, though she said it was "inadvertent" and was part of her vape cartridge.
White House spokesman Kirby, like Blinken, was tight-lipped about Griner and Whelan during a separate press briefing Wednesday.
"In order to decrease the chances for success here, we're obviously not going to be able to share more publicly about the deal. I'm sure you all have questions about what this looks like. And I'm sure you can all understand that it's not going to help us get them home if we're negotiating in public," he said.
Kirby took great pains to distance himself from any specifics -- pushing back on the characterization of a "swap" when one reporter raised it -- and wouldn't engage when asked specifically if it would be "smart" to include Bout in such a deal.
While the focus is to get those detained freed, Kirby underscored that the balance has to include a consideration that "our own national security is preserved and that we're not encouraging hostage taking in the future."
Kirby was also pressed on why the U.S. was making this offer public now, and if it was in part to up the pressure on Russia.
"No decision to talk about these issues [is] made lightly, given how sensitive they can be, given the ultimate outcome that you want to achieve. We think through every step so carefully," he said.
Blinken, for his part, has not spoken to Lavrov -- or indeed, any top Russia officials -- since January, when they were locked in a flurry of talks as the U.S. tried to prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The men were in the same room during the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia earlier this month but had no direct contact.
Blinken was asked at the time if there was a cost to pay for the Americans wrongfully detained in Russia by freezing out Lavrov.
"The problem is this: We see no signs whatsoever that Russia is prepared to engage in meaningful diplomacy," he responded, adding that the U.S. would seize the opportunity should it detect a shift from the Kremlin.
On Wednesday, however, he expressed some optimism that his forthcoming call with Lavrov would be productive.
"There is in my mind, utility in conveying clear, direct messages to the Russians on key priorities for us," he said.
"We make a judgment in every instance," he said. "I thought it was important to make clear that on these issues -- the detention of our American citizens, the food crisis the world is facing because of Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the plans that Russia now has to pursue the annexation of Ukrainian territory -- that our Russian counterparts hear directly from me."
Still, he said, "My call with Foreign Minister Lavrov will not be a negotiation about Ukraine. Any negotiation regarding Ukraine is for its government and people to determine. As we've said from the beginning, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine."
