According to Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, Moscow will likely suggest a time for a call with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
According to Mr. Blinken, the two will communicate on Wednesday to plan a swap of captives imprisoned in American and Russian prisons.
In an effort to free two Americans who were detained, including basketball player Brittney Griner, the US offered the prisoner swap agreement.
The US Women’s National Basketball Association player was detained on February 17 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport as she traveled back to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg.
In February, Brittney Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
Police claimed to have discovered cannabis oil-filled vape cartridges in her luggage.
Ms. Griner, 31, who has been detained ever since pleaded guilty to charges that could result in a decade prison sentence for her.
But she testified at her drug possession trial that an interpreter translated only a fraction of what was being said while she was detained and that officials told her to sign documents, but “no one explained any of it to me”.
Mr. Blinken said he would raise the matter of both her detention and that of Paul Whelan -arrested in Russia in 2018, and accused of spying – in a call with Russia’s foreign minister.
A source said that Washington was willing to exchange convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, jailed in the US, as part of such a deal.