Trevor Reed, a former Marine from Texas who served nearly three years in a Russian prison before he was freed in a prison swap this spring, said he is “cautiously optimistic” that a similar deal can be worked out in the high-profile cases of two other Americans currently detained in Russia.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced this week that the U.S. has offered Russia a proposal to bring WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan home.
The White House wouldn’t confirm details of the proposal, but three sources familiar with the offer confirmed to ABC News that the U.S. had proposed exchanging convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout in order to secure Griner and Whelan’s release from Russia.
In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, a day after news of the possible deal broke, Reed said he was “extremely excited” when he heard the latest development.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that that trade is going to work out, and I hope it does,” he said. “I’m watching along with the rest of America to see if that happens.”
