The US has not ruled out sanctions in response to the arrest of citizens abroad

Karine Jean-Pierre said that the US has recently expanded its toolkit to combat the arrest of American citizens abroad. Sanctions are among such instruments.and visa restrictions for those involved in detentionsKarine Jean-PierreJean-PierreJean-Pierre

The administration of US President Joe Biden has recently expanded its tools to prevent the arrest of American citizens abroad. Washington's threats to impose sanctions against those involved in such detentions have become one such tool, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing.

“Recently <...> the Biden administration has expanded the tools that the US government can use to <...> solve this problem [of arrests of US citizens abroad], including through the possibility of creating serious costs and consequences, such as sanctions and visa restrictions, for governments and non-state actors who are involved in hostage-taking and unjust detentions,” she said.

She was also asked if Washington is considering stepping up arrests of Russians, including those under US sanctions, in order to "have more leverage in negotiations" to release Americans in Russian custody. “I have nothing further to say, nothing to add, and nothing to say in advance regarding your question,” the White House spokeswoman said in response.

Booth, Powers and Skripal.History of prisoner exchanges between Russia and the United States Politics

The day before, on December 8, at the airport in Abu Dhabi, the exchange of the American basketball player Brittney Griner detained in Russia for the Russian detained in the USA Viktor Bout took place. Tatyana Moskalkova, the human rights ombudsman in Russia, explained to Interfax that Bout and Greiner were pardoned and would not serve the remainder of their sentences.

The United States and Russia have been negotiating the exchange of Bout for Greiner for several months. The Foreign Ministry noted that the United States had long been reluctant to include Bout in the deal. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in November that Moscow was withdrawing from "serious negotiations" over the exchange. In early December, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov called for "silence" around the exchange talks.

In addition to Greiner, Washington previously wanted to include Paul Whelan, an American convicted of espionage, in the exchange deal. After the last exchange, Whelan said that the administration of the President of the United States did not make enough efforts to release him. “I am very disappointed that more has not been done for my release, especially since the four-year anniversary of my arrest is approaching. I was arrested for a crime that never happened <...> I don't understand why I'm still here," Whelan said.

Read on RBC Pro Restaurateur Boris Zarkov: “The market is being cleared of “naked kings” Martial law and special regimes in the regions: what threatens your property Why is an obedient child scary What Russian stocks to invest in 2023:analyst advice

See also The United States accused the son of the Krasnoyarsk governor of violating sanctions 01:11

Russian Viktor Bout was arrested in 2008 in Thailand at the request of the United States. He was accused of illegal arms trafficking and supporting terrorism. Washington believes that Bout wanted to supply weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - Army of the People, which the United States recognized as a terrorist organization. In 2010, Bout was extradited to the United States, in 2012 the court sentenced him to 25 years in prison. The Russian pleaded not guilty.

Greiner is a two-time winner of the Olympic Games (2016, 2020) and World Championships (2014, 2018) in basketball, since 2015 she has played for the Yekaterinburg club UMMC. In February of this year, she was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport with hash oil vape cartridges in her hand luggage. The basketball player herself claimed that the doctor prescribed her cannabis. In July, she pleaded guilty, but noted that she had no intent to commit a crime. The court sentenced Greiner to nine years in prison for drug smuggling. In November, she was transferred from the pre-trial detention center to a general regime colony.