HARD BARGAIN

Russia Asked U.S. to Include Convicted Murderer in Prisoner Swap Offer, Report Says

The request for German prisoner Vadim Krasikov was made through a backchannel, CNN reports.

After the U.S. offered to swap Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, Russian officials asked for convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov to be included in the exchange, CNN reports. One obstacle with the counteroffer is that Krasikov is a German prisoner, not American, but CNN reports that U.S. officials did quietly discuss the matter with German authorities, apparently characterizing the inquiry as a status check on Krasikov. Because the Russian request was made on an informal backchannel used by spy agency FSB, or the Federal Security Service, the U.S. government did not view it as a legitimate counteroffer. “In order to preserve the best opportunity for a successful outcome, we’re not going to comment publicly on any speculation,” a State Department official told CNN when asked about the Russian offer. However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that he “pressed the Kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner.”