Blinken urged Russia to accept trade of Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Russian foreign minister on Friday and urged Moscow to accept a U.S. offer to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detainee, in exchange for 'Merchant of Death' convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Blinken described the call with Sergey Lavrov as 'a frank and direct conversation' centered primarily on the proposal for the release of the Americans.

'I urged Foreign Minister Lavrov to move forward with that proposal,' Blinken told reporters. 'I can't give you an assessment of whether that is any more or less likely.'

It comes after Lavrov said he was open to the discussions to free Griner and Paul Whelan, a former US Marine from Michigan, as he noted that Russia was not aware of any deal despite Blinken's statement on Wednesday that America had made a 'substantial offer' weeks ago. 

'I will listen to what he has to say,' Lavrov said while on a visit to Uzbekistan. 

Putin's top diplomat said he would be ready to discuss the trade once he returned to Moscow and that the timing of the call was being worked out.

It was Blinken's first talk with his Russian counterpart since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.

While discussing a possible prisoner exchange, Blinken also said he had pressed Lavrov on the importance of Russia following through on an agreement to allow Ukrainian grain shipments to leave the Black Sea.

The Blinken warned Putin's foreign minister of the consequences should Moscow move ahead with suspected plans to annex portions of eastern and southern Ukraine. 

The US officials said he told Lavrov that the world will 'never recognize' any annexation of Ukrainian territory, which he said would 'will result in significant additional costs for Russia.'

He declined to comment on how Lavrov replied to his messages. 'I don´t want to characterize any of Foreign Minister Lavrov´s responses.'

Asked Thursday about the U.S. offer, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied that prisoner swaps were typically negotiated discreetly behind the scenes. 

'We know that such issues are discussed without any such release of information,' Peskov told reporters during a conference call. 'Normally, the public learns about it when the agreements are already implemented.'

On Wednesday, Blinken told reporters:' There was 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.' 

Blinken's comments marked the first time the U.S. government publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure Griner's release. 

The two-time Olympic gold medalist and player for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury was arrested at a Moscow airport on February 17 when inspectors found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Cannabis is illegal in Russia, with no exceptions made for medicinal treatment. 

Griner's arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington ahead of Russia sending troops into Ukraine on February 24. 

Griner's five months of detention have raised strong criticism among teammates and supporters in the United States.

Her trial on drug charges started in a court outside Moscow this month, and she testified Wednesday that she didn't know how the cartridges ended up in her bag but that she had a doctor's recommendation to use cannabis to treat career-related pain.

Griner told the Russian court that while she was aware of the country's law, she needed the cannabis to stave off her pain and do well in the season. 

'It's the most important part of the season, after the break. It's playoffs' Griner said. The whole season I worked, my team worked hard to get to a good position.

'There was nothing that was going to change that for me. I didn't want to let my team down.

'I did know about the 'do not fly' advisory, but like I said, there was nothing that was going to change my mind on coming back and finishing my duty for my team,' she added.

The 31-year-old has pleaded guilty but said she had no criminal intent in bringing the cartridges to Russia and packed in haste for her return to play in a Russian basketball league during the WNBA's offseason. 

She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.

The Biden administration has faced political pressure to free Griner and other Americans whom the U.S. has declared to be 'wrongfully detained' - a designation sharply rejected by Russian officials.

Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges in 2020. He and his family have vigorously asserted his innocence.

Russia has for years expressed interest in the release of Bout, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 on weapons selling charges. 

The former Soviet officer, 55, illegally sold 700 surface-to-air missiles, thousands of guns, high-tech helicopters and planes fitted with grenade launches and counted the Taliban, Muammar Gaddafi and Liberian dictator Charles Taylor as his clients.

He was nabbed by authorities in Thailand in 2011 after a sting operation, but his arrest and conviction have long aggravated Moscow.

'Today, one of the world's most prolific arms dealers is being held accountable for his sordid past,' former Attorney General Eric Holder said following Bout's arrest in 2011.

Bout was the main inspiration for Nicolas Cage's character in the 2005 film Lord of War.