The Biden administration has reportedly offered a convicted Russian arms trafficker as part of a deal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American being held by Moscow.

The plan to exchange Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US, has President Joe Biden’s support, three sources told CNN on Wednesday.

‘We communicated a substantial offer that we believe could be successful based on a history of conversations with the Russians,’ a senior administration official told the news outlet.

‘We communicated that a number of weeks ago, in June.’

The official added that it is in Russia’s ‘court to be responsive to it, yet at the same time that does not leave us passive, as we continue to communicate the offer at very senior levels’.

The report came shortly after Griner testified in a Russian court that she did not receive an explanation of her rights when she was arrested for carrying cannabis oil vape cartridges in her suitcase at a Moscow airport.

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