Topline
The release of Brittney Griner—the WNBA star who was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison on drug charges—is not a priority for the Kremlin despite calls from President Joe Biden to free the basketball player, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday, as the U.S. continues to advocate for her release, saying her imprisonment is unjust.
US WNBA basketball superstar Brittney Griner arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside … [+]
Key Facts
Biden is “thinking first and foremost” about the upcoming midterm elections, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said during an appearance on a Russian talk show, claiming that’s why Biden is emphasizing the need to bring Griner home, according to translations from state news agency TASS.
However, Griner’s release from prison “is “not the main issue we are concerned about,” Ushakov said.
His comments come one week after Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who traveled to Russia to advocate for Griner’s release, said she and Paul Whelan—another American serving prison time in Russia—could be released by the end of the year.
Tangent
Griner has expressed skepticism that the U.S. will be able to negotiate her release, the basketball star’s lawyer has said. “She is not yet absolutely convinced that America will be able to take her home,” Alexander Boykov told The New York Times last week, saying she is “afraid that she will have to serve the whole sentence here in Russia.”
News Peg
On Wednesday, Biden said there had been “no movement” with Putin in regards to Griner’s release. Biden said last week he has no plans to speak with Putin at the upcoming G20 Summit in Bali, but said he would meet if Putin agreed to discuss Griner.
Key Background
Griner was arrested in February at a Moscow airport, where Russian authorities said they found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty to drug charges in July, saying she did not intend to break Russian law and packed the cartridges in her bag by mistake. Griner was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison in August. Griner’s lawyers filed an appeal against the conviction, and a hearing has been scheduled for later this month. The Biden Administration has criticized Russia for holding Griner and attempted to negotiate for Griner and Whalen’s releases as part of a prisoner swap. The White House has floated trading Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiring to sell millions of dollars in weapons to the Colombian terror group FARC. Last month, Biden met with Griner and Whalen’s families at the White House. Griner’s arrest and conviction coincided with a breakdown in U.S.-Russia relations to the lowest point in decades over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Further Reading
Russia Could Release Griner And Whelan By End Of Year, Former UN Ambassador Richardson Claims (Forbes)
Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff
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