Lavrov says Russia is prepared to speak about prisoner change with the US after Griner's conviction

 Lavrov says Russia is prepared to speak about prisoner change with the US after Griner's conviction

Updated 1808 GMT (0208 HKT) August five, 2022

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends the 5th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Russia Joint Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 1, 2022.

(CNN)The US and Russia have indicated they may be equipped to preserve talks over a prisoner change, a day after basketball famous person Brittney Griner became convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to nine years in prison for carrying much less than a gram of cannabis oil via a Moscow airport.

Russia's overseas minister Sergey Lavrov instructed reporters in Cambodia that the Kremlin is "equipped to discuss this subject matter, however within the framework of the channel that has been agreed through the presidents," state information organization RIA Novosti pronounced.

"There is a specified channel that has been agreed upon through [Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden], and no matter what absolutely everyone says publicly, this channel will remain in effect," Lavrov reportedly said Friday on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

Shortly later, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the equal summit that the US will "pursue" talks with Russia.

Brittney Griner is dealing with a 9-year sentence in a Russian jail following her conviction. Here's what ought to come subsequent for the WNBA big name

Brittney Griner is facing a nine-12 months sentence in a Russian jail following her conviction. Here's what should come next for the WNBA superstar

"We recommend, as, a full-size thought that Russia must interact with us on. And what Foreign Minister Lavrov said this morning and said publicly is that they are organized to engage via channels we have mounted to do simply that. And we'll be pursuing that," Blinken informed newshounds at a press briefing.

President Joe Biden stated a while Friday that he's hopeful about efforts to secure Griner.

"I'm hopeful. We're running difficult," Biden instructed journalists outside the White House after an invoice signing.

The comments from every aspect propose that a negotiation technique, which has already been confirmed complicated, should boost up within the coming days.

Russian authorities officers asked closing month that a former colonel from us of a's home secret agent enterprise, who was convicted of homicide in Germany remaining year, be included inside the US' proposed change of notorious fingers dealer Viktor Bout for Griner and Paul Whelan, more than one sources acquainted with the discussions told CNN.

Whelan, a US citizen, has been held by Russia account that 2018 and turned convicted with the aid of a Russian court in 2020 on espionage charges. Griner's conviction has raised comparable concerns that she is being used as a political pawn in Russia's conflict with Ukraine.

Griner, a Women's National Basketball Association megastar, pleaded guilty to sporting cannabis oil in her bags as she traveled via a Moscow airport on February 17. She testified in the court docket that she become aware of Russia's strict drug laws and had no goal of bringing hashish into u. S ., announcing she was in a rush and "strain packing."

Griner inside the defendants ' cage before the courtroom's verdict was announced on Thursday.

Griner interior a defendants' cage earlier than the court's verdict changed into introduced on Thursday.

Before the decision on Thursday, Griner apologized to the courtroom and requested leniency in an emotional speech. "I never intended to hurt every person, I in no way meant to install jeopardy the Russian populace, I in no way intended to break any legal guidelines here," she said.

"I made a sincere mistake and I wish that your ruling that doesn't give up my lifestyle right here. I know all of us keeps speaking about political pawn and politics, however, I hope that that is some distance from this court," she continued.

Griner's lawyers had hoped that her guilty plea and statements of regret could result in a greater lenient sentence.

Her conviction, Blinken instructed reporters, "places a highlight on [Washington's] very extensive concern with Russia's legal system and the Russian government's use of wrongful detentions to improve its very own schedule the usage of individuals as a political pawn."

"The same is going for Paul Whelan," Blinken added.

Earlier Friday, a US State Department reputable instructed newshounds there was no "severe reaction" from Russia on a proposed change. The identical authenticity stated Blinken and Lavrov had not met whilst on the Cambodia summit, and that Blinken had no plans to accomplish that.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed journalists Russia would not talk about the possibility of a transfer publicly. "If we speak via clicking a few alternate-related nuances, then those exchanges will never take place. The Americans have already made this mistake," he said Friday.

Peskov asked whether Putin should pardon Griner, and said that "there's a positive [legal] process that the convicted can motel to, by the regulation." According to Russian law, to begin the clemency manner, a convict wishes to write a petition to the Russian president.

Before the beginning of Thursday's WNBA recreation between Griner's Phoenix Mercury and the Connecticut Sun, participants of each group connected palms around the middle court docket, and a 42-2d moment of silence was held for Brittney Griner.

Near the end of those forty-two seconds, participants of the gang began chanting, "Bring her home! Bring her home!"

This story has been updated with extra tendencies.