By seizing the basketball star, the Russian president made things so painful for the U.S. that it capitulated and turned over a convicted arms dealer. Can the same tactic work in the war in Ukraine?
Viktor Bout has been accused of supplying arms to Al Qaeda, the Taliban and rebels in Rwanda. His exploits helped inspire a 2005 film, “Lord of War,” that starred Nicolas Cage.
Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive, was arrested at a Moscow hotel in December 2018. President Biden says his administration is still working on getting him released.
The State Department says Russia refuses to negotiate seriously to free the basketball star Brittney Griner, who was sent to a penal colony with a nine-year sentence on a cannabis charge.