US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he would speak with his Russian counterpart for the first time since the Ukraine invasion but could address other priorities, including the release of American detainees.
The conference call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will be “in the next few days” and “will not be a negotiation on Ukraine,” Blinken told reporters. He added that essentially it will be focused on the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports.
“I hope to talk about an issue that is a priority for us: the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner who were wrongly detained and should be allowed to return home,” he said.
“Several weeks ago we put an offer on the negotiating table to facilitate the releases,” Blinken said without elaborating on what was proposed.
Former US soldier Paul Whelan and former head of security for an auto parts company, has been detained since 2018 in Russia and sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage.
Moscow confirmed on Thursday that it is holding talks with Washington to exchange detainees, although there is still no agreement.
Former US ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul urged the administration of President Joe Biden to exchange those detainees for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer jailed in the United States.
