Griner swap wasn’t all US hoped for, but what it could get

By ERIC TUCKER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The one-for-one swap involving Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout was not the one that U.S. officials had hoped to negotiate or were initially willing to accept. For months they been demanding the release of both Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan. The final agreement came together in just the past few days. The administration grudgingly accepted that though Russia would not budge on Whelan, it was finally prepared to relent on Griner. That created imperfect but ultimately workable options for a U.S. government under pressure to make a deal.