Who is Viktor Bout, Russia's 'Merchant of Death' who could be freed in prisoner swap for Brittney Griner?

Fox News foreign correspondent Greg Palkot reports from London on Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's Wednesday announcement on a prisoner exchange offer for U.S. citizens held abroad on 'America Reports.'

Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death" whose weapons sales fueled deadly conflicts around the world, could be sent back to his motherland in exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner and retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. 

Russian officials have long pushed for the release of Bout, who is currently serving a 25-year sentence in U.S. prison after being convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill Americans, conspiracy to deliver anti-aircraft missiles, and aiding a terrorist organization.

He was nabbed in 2010 in a sting operation at a luxury hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, where he met with Drug Enforcement Administration informants who were posing as officials with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which has been classified by US officials as a narco-terrorist group.

Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout walks past temporary cells ahead of a hearing at the Criminal Court in Bangkok. (CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images)

Prosecutors said that Bout was prepared to provide the group with $20 million worth of "a breathtaking arsenal of weapons — including hundreds of surface-to-air missiles, machine guns and sniper rifles — 10 million rounds of ammunition and five tons of plastic explosives."

BRITTNEY GRINER REVEALS TRANSLATION ISSUE DURING HER FEBRUARY ARREST

Bout, who was played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 movie "Lord of War," has maintained his innocence, claiming that he is a legitimate businessman. 

The Russian state-owned news agency TASS originally reported in May that talks are