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The Biden administration has had communications with Russia as part of ongoing efforts to secure the release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan as recently as within past days a senior administration official said, speaking to CNN on Griners birthday, which she will be spending in Russian jail.
The United States first put an offer for a prisoner swap on the table with Russia back in June the details of which CNN exclusively reported and conversations have not been static since then the official said.
Despite the pretty persistent pace of discussions between the US and Russia to secure the Americans release, the official said the Biden administration has yet to receive a serious counteroffer from the Russian side.
We have worked hard to try to demonstrate the sorts of things that could well be the basis for resolving this and each time we have articulated that its been met not with a serious counteroffer, the official said.
They said the Russians have countered with something not in our control, not in our ability to deliver, but did not go into further specifics.
Theyre not non-responsive. I would say that they continue to respond with something that they know not to be feasible or available, the official said of the Russian response.
The official said the US has used multiple channels for discussions with the Russians and conversations have taken place both in-person, by phone, and through other forms. The US has dangled multiple ideas for things that could be in play to urge a serious response from the Russians.
With Griner spending her 32nd birthday in Russian prison the official said that every day is too long for her to remain wrongfully detained by Russia.
I wish you werent spending this birthday in Russian detention. I wish you werent spending the past weeks and months there, the official said, speaking to Griner. As far as were concerned, each day is too long and we will keep working this until we resolve it and get her home. Regrettably, the other side gets a vote in this. Theyre the ones who created this horrific situation. Theyre the ones we regrettably need to deal with to resolve it.
Next week, Griner will appeal her nine-year prison sentence in Russian court. It is unclear if the passage of that court date will bolster ongoing efforts to get her home.
To the extent that that different phases of that decidedly imperfect system pass and open the possibility on the other side of real negotiations, we would welcome that. But the most candid answer is, we dont know, the official said.
President Joe Biden said last week that he would consider meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 in November if he wanted to discuss Griner. When asked if there has been discussion between the US and Russia about that possible meeting on Griner the official said they would let Bidens remarks speak for themselves.
The head of Germanys cybersecurity agency has been fired over alleged connections with Russia.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sacked Arne Schönbohm, the head of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), with immediate effect from his duties, a spokesperson for the ministry told CNN on Tuesday.
There was no longer any confidence in Schönbohms leadership, the spokesperson told CNN.
His firing comes after recent media reports alleging he had links with people involved with Russian intelligence services.
In the wake of the current crisis situation regarding Russian hybrid warfare, the allegations have permanently damaged the necessary public trust in the neutrality and impartiality of Schönbohms conduct of office as president of Germanys most important cybersecurity authority, the spokesman said in a statement.
The accusations also affected the (interior) ministers indispensable relationship of trust in the conduct of her office, the spokesperson added.
All known allegations will be thoroughly and vigorously investigated and subjected to a detailed evaluation. Until this investigation has been completed, Mr. Schönbohm is, of course, presumed innocent, the spokesperson concluded.
Schönbohm was the head of the BSI since February 2016.
CNN has reached out to the agency for comment.
Schönbohm hasnt publicly commented since the allegations of his Russian ties surfaced.
More on this: According to reports in German media, he was connected to Russia through his role in the Cyber Security Council of Germany. In 2012, Schönbohm co-founded the organization, which describes itself as politically neutral and advises the private and public sectors on cybersecurity issues. Among its members is a German company that is a subsidiary of a Russian cybersecurity firm founded by a former member of the KGB.
While declining to comment on Schönbohm, the Cyber Security Councils spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday that the company had repeatedly warned that Russian actors could exploit weaknesses in German cyber defenses.
Our focus in the future will continue to be on strengthening the national security architecture as best we can. This explicitly includes possible further threats from Russia, the spokesperson added.
