The Kremlin stressed on Friday (December 9th) that the prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia involving American basketball player Brittney Griner and ex-arms dealer Viktor Bout had not ended the "
crisis
" between the two countries.
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"
These negotiations concerned only the exchange, it is probably incorrect to make hypothetical conclusions saying that it would be a step towards a way out of the crisis that our bilateral relations are currently going through
," said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“
Our bilateral relations are still in a deplorable state
,” he added, in an interview with Russian media Izvestia.
Read alsoHow Putin and Biden traded a basketball player for an arms dealer
According to Dmitri Peskov, "
the main result
" of this exchange, which took place on Thursday, "
is that a Russian citizen who was a prisoner for 14 years of the Americans, absolutely illegally, was able to return to the country
".
Brittney Griner, 32, who was arrested in Russia in February on cannabis trafficking charges, and Viktor Bout, 55, who was serving a 25-year sentence in a US prison, were swapped at an airport in the United Arab Emirates United.
A senior US official said the discussion with Moscow remained focused on Brittney Griner's release, and the US made this known to Ukraine and other allies.
Read alsoWho is Viktor Bout, a “big fish” recovered by Vladimir Putin
Americans and Russians accuse each other of detaining their respective nationals for political purposes.
Several prisoner exchanges have taken place in recent years.