Alla But. Archival photoMOSCOW, July 27Viktor Bout's wife Alla told RIA Novosti that neither Viktor Bout nor she herself knew anything about the negotiations between Russia and the United States on exchanging Bout for Americans in Russian prisons.» «We talked on the phone yesterday. Viktor knows nothing about the negotiations between Russia and the United States on his exchange. Of course, we assume that such negotiations can take place, but we don't talk about it, because neither he nor I have any information.» , Bout said, adding that she herself learned about the American prisoner exchange offer, in which her husband could allegedly appear, just from the Russian media. Earlier, CNN reported that the US authorities agreed to release Russian businessman Viktor Bout in exchange the Americans Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence for espionage, and Brittney Griner, who is on trial on charges of drug smuggling. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed that the US had made an offer to Russia that could lead to the release of the Americans Greiner and Whelan, but declined to disclose its content. At the same time, according to him, US President Joe Biden is personally involved in solving the problem of American prisoners in Russia and approves any proposals in this regard. The White House later also confirmed that the US made a «serious» offer to Russia about the prisoners a few weeks ago, but declined to reveal details in order to increase the chances of success. «We talked only about his health and the health of our mothers. Victor's mother is sick, my mother is now in critical condition, and we only talked about this, this is now the main topic for us,» Bout's wife said. The lawyer could not comment on reports of a possible exchange of Bout
