Russia confirmed for the first time on Thursday that it is negotiating with the U.S. regarding a possible prisoner swap deal that would secure the freedom of WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.

Driving the news: The news comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed last week that Russia was "ready to discuss" a potential deal.

Russia has admitted that it is in talks with the US to exchange a notorious arms dealer for basketball player Brittney Griner, a Russian diplomat said.

The diplomat’s comments marked the first time Russia said it was in talks to exchange Griner for Viktor Bout, 55, who is in prison in the US, according to a report.

Russia confirmed Thursday for the first time that negotiations between Washington and Moscow on a prisoner exchange are underway, after the United States proposed a deal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American prisoner, Paul Whelan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said talks are underway via a channel set up by President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin when they met in Geneva in June last year.

A former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday said he is “optimistic” about winning Brittney Griner’s release after the WNBA star was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on a drug conviction.

Bill Richardson told ABC’s “This Week” he believes Griner will be released alongside former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan in a two-for-two prisoner swap with Russia.

The Biden administration and the Kremlin are reportedly discussing a prisoner swap to free WNBA star Brittney Griner and ex-Marine Paul Whelan, two Americans detained in Russia. 

In order to secure their release, the US has offered to trade back Viktor Bout, a convicted and notorious arms dealer imprisoned in the states, according to CNN.

Viktor Bout had a long career as an international arms dealer 

On Thursday, a Russian court sentenced basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in a penal colony. Griner, who was playing in a Russian league during the offseason just ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was found with about a gram of hash oil and received nearly the maximum sentence after being found guilty of drug trafficking.

Now that the trial is over, Griner’s situation is revealed for what it always was: hard-core geopolitics.

Russia said Friday it was "ready to discuss" a prisoner swap with Washington at the presidential level, a day after the drug conviction of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner.

Despite tensions soaring between Russia and the U.S. since the launch of Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine, the former Cold War rivals appeared to be edging closer to a new prisoner exchange.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was convicted Thursday in Russia of cannabis possession and sentenced to nine years in prison — despite her insistence that she “made an honest mistake” and her tearful pleas for mercy.

Standing in a cage reserved for defendants at the Khimki court outside Moscow, Griner, 31, remained stone-faced upon hearing the verdict.

As part of the punishment phase, Griner also will be required to pay a $16,300 fine. Asked if she understood the sentence, Griner replied in English: “Yes, I understand, your honor.”

WNBA star Brittney Griner was found guilty on drug charges by a Russian court and sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday, concluding a trial that has captured national attention and reached the highest levels of U.S. diplomacy.

Why it matters: Griner's conviction comes nearly six months after she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February, when Russian authorities said they found a vape cartridge with hashish oil in her luggage.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has been sentenced to 9 years in a Russian prison, on charges of smuggling drugs into the country.

Griner's lawyers said, in a statement shared with PEOPLE, that the verdict, just below the maximum sentence of 10 years, is "absolutely unreasonable" and said they will "certainly file an appeal."