The Latest Breaking News from Trevor Reed

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he had turned down a proposed one-for-one prisoner swap with Russia that would have brought Michigan's Paul Whelan home.

Delicate negotiations between the United States and Russia led to basketball star Brittney Griner’s return in exchange for notorious arms dealer once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death.”

The basketball star was first detained in February, and had recently been moved to a Russian penal colony

The former Marine remains imprisoned in Russia after Thursday’s deal to release the WNBA star.

The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden, but carried a heavy price — and left behind an American jailed for nearly four years in Russia.

Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, American officials said. The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden, but carried a heavy price…

Russia has freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout

The life of Viktor Bout reads like a spy thriller.

President Joe Biden said U.S. efforts to secure the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner are ongoing but have not swayed the Kremlin, hours after a Russian court rejected her appeal of a nine-year drug smuggling sentence.