NEW YORK, July 30. /TASS/. Russia’s interest in bringing back home businessman Viktor Bout from a US jail has not subsided over the past years, the Russian citizen’s US attorney Steve Zissou has told CNN.
During a CNN broadcast, the host claimed that Moscow was not eager enough to reply to Washington’s proposal about swapping Bout for US nationals Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner.
"I don’t think this minimizes their interest in getting Viktor home. They have been clear about that <…> frankly for more than a decade," Zissou replied.
According to the attorney, a Russian court is yet to pronounce its verdict in Griner’s case, and the judicial process is ongoing. Moreover, he added that "Paul Whelan presents a difficult issue for folks in Russia, because, as you know, he has been convicted of espionage."
Earlier this week, Washington suggested swapping Bout for Griner, who has been charged with drug trafficking, and Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in jail for espionage.
CNN reported on Friday citing anonymous sources that the US authorities have unofficially asked Germany about the possibility of including into the proposed swap a man, sentenced to life on charges of killing Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin. According to the report, US and German officials identified the man as Vadim Krasikov, an agent of a Russian special service.
Viktor Bout was apprehended in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok in 2008 following a sting by US federal agents. He was charged with conspiracy to deliver weapons to a group regarded as a terrorist organization by the United States. In 2010, Bout was extradited to the United States.