As the United States and Russia prepare to discuss a prisoner swap just days after Moscow sentenced a U.S. women's basketball star to nine years in prison on drug smuggling charges, much remains unclear about who could be freed.
Speaking separately at an Asia conference in Cambodia on August 5, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, confirmed that they were ready to pursue swap talks though they gave no further details.
Late last month, Blinken said the United States had made a 'substantial offer' to Russia for the release of basketball player Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who is serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia on espionage charges that he denies.
The United States claims that the two jailed Americans are political pawns being used by Moscow amid a deteriorating bilateral relationship.
U.S. media reported last week that the White House had offered to swap Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence, for the two Americans. Moscow has been seeking Bout's release for years.
However, Russia holds at least two other U.S. individuals on controversial grounds and experts do not exclude a swap involving more prisoners.
SEE ALSO: Russia, U.S. Say They're Ready For Talks On Prisoner Swap After Griner Sentenced
The problem for the Kremlin may lie in deciding whom to choose among the dozens of Russian individuals serving time in U.S. jails in connection with serious crimes.
Over the past decade, the United States has sentenced dozens of Russian individuals to prison terms on money-laundering, hacking, and ransomware charges.
Some of the hackers are high profile ..
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