A senior American diplomat has said the US put forward a “significant” proposal for a deal to free the basketball star Brittney Griner

A senior American diplomat has said the US put forward a “significant” proposal for a deal to free the basketball star Brittney Griner and former marine Paul Whelan, but that Russia had not provided a “serious response” to any of its proposals.

Talks between the US and Russia over the two jailed Americans were continuing through the “designated channel”, Elizabeth Rood, the chargée d’affaires of the US mission to Russia, Qazet.az reports according to Russia’s state-owned RIA news agency.

She said:

The United States, as we have said, has put a significant proposal on the table. We have followed up on that proposal and we have proposed alternatives. Unfortunately, so far the Russian Federation has not provided a serious response to those proposals.