Russia Frees Britney Greiner in Prisoner Swap for Arms Dealer

(CNN) — Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in a prisoner exchange, family source says.

“I just spoke to Brittney Kreiner. She’s safe. She’s on a plane. She’s going home,” President Joe Biden confirmed her arrival on Twitter. In a briefing from the White House, the president added that Criner was “in good spirits.”

“After months of wrongful detention in Russia under intolerable conditions, Brittany will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, where she should have been,” Biden said in the Roosevelt Room moments after Griner’s announcement. liberation

A few minutes ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.

She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT

— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022

In a joint mediation between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the American athlete was exchanged for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bode, the countries said in a statement.

An official confirmed to CNN earlier Thursday that Griner was already in the custody of US authorities. For its part, Russia confirmed the return of Viktor Bot to Russia, state media RIA Novosti reported, citing the Foreign Ministry.

State media also reported that the exchange of prisoners was successfully completed at Abu Dhabi Airport on Thursday.

Bode, a former Soviet soldier nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” is serving a 25-year sentence in the United States on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, buying and exporting anti-aircraft missiles and providing material support to a terrorist. system. Moscow criticized his conviction in 2012 as “unfounded and biased” and Bout maintained his innocence.

Griner, who played for the Russian women’s basketball team for several years, has been detained at Moscow Regional Airport since February when she was arrested on drug-trafficking charges.

In his testimony, Griner explained that he had inadvertently packed the cannabis oil found in his luggage. However, he was sentenced to nine years in prison in early August and transferred to a penal colony in Mordovia in mid-November after losing his appeal.

The agreed exchange did not include another American—Paul Whelan—who the State Department announced had been wrongfully detained. An American, Irish, British and Canadian citizen was detained in a Moscow hotel in December 2018 by Russian authorities, who claimed he was involved in an espionage operation. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, which he vehemently denied.

Whelan is serving his sentence in a labor camp in Mordovia, an eight-hour drive from Moscow, where he told CNN in June 2021 that he worked in a garment factory he called a “sweat shop.”

The only possible agreement

President Biden has been “personally engaged and in constant contact” with his team in recent days as the deal was finalized and after he himself gave the go-ahead for the trade. A senior administration official said the explanations and the questions Biden asked his team were consistent.

A senior government official added that the deal was perfect, but specifically that it was “the only deal we can do at this point”.

Biden told CNN he will “speak in a few minutes about the importance of bringing Britney home safely.”

He is expected to mention Paul Whelan, who is imprisoned in Russia, and reiterate “America’s commitment to ensuring Paul Whelan’s return home.”

Biden vowed to “never give up” on bringing Paul Whelan home

On Thursday, Biden vowed to “never give up” on bringing Paul Whelan back to the United States, adding that “bringing home any American is not a decision.”

“We have not forgotten Paul Whelan, who was wrongly detained in Russia for years. It’s not a choice to bring home any American,” Biden said, adding, “For completely illegal reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Britney’s, and while we still haven’t been able to secure Paul’s release , we’re not going to give in. Up.”

Biden said his administration would be in close contact with Paul Whelan’s family and acknowledged the “mixed feelings” they must be feeling today.

“We will continue to negotiate in good faith for Paul’s release. I guarantee it. I tell the family: I guarantee it. I ask Russia to do the same: ensure that Paul’s health and humane treatment are maintained until we bring him home. If we can bring that person home, I don’t want any American to be unjustly detained another day.”