Joe Biden expects Russia to be more willing to discuss prisoner swap for WNBA star Brittney Griner

• Joe Biden says he expects Vladimir Putin to be more willing to discuss a potential prisoner swap with the US.
• Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in a prison colony for cocaine possession and smuggling.
• The WNBA called the ordeal a “scary, seemingly never-ending nightmare”.

Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden stated that he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to be more willing to discuss a potential prisoner swap with the United States in order to obtain the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner.

“My hope is, now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about prisoner exchange,” Biden told reporters at a press conference.

“My intention is to get her home,” he added.

On November 8, Biden’s Democratic Party performed better than anticipated, while the Republicans appeared to fall short of the “red wave” triumph they had wanted.

Late in July, the Biden administration suggested a prisoner swap with Russia to obtain the release of Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is also imprisoned in Russia, but Moscow had not yet responded positively.

Griner, 32, a star for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association, was arrested on February 17. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24 and the accompanying deterioration of relations between Washington and Moscow have hampered the discussions.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested at a Moscow airport when cannabis oil-containing vape cartridges were discovered in her luggage.

On August 4, she was sentenced to nine years in a prison colony for cocaine possession and smuggling. She pleaded guilty, but claimed she had not intended to break the law and had made an “honest mistake.”

Her legal team announced on Wednesday that Russian officials transported Griner from a prison institution outside of Moscow to an unnamed correctional colony last week. The action infuriated the Biden administration.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in a statement that Griner was being relocated to a “remote penal colony” and that the United States expects Russian authorities to grant its embassy employees access to Griner and other arrested Americans.

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‘Never-ending nightmare’

The WNBA stated in a statement that it was “crushed” by the decision, describing it as a “scary, seemingly never-ending nightmare” and added that “the lack of clarity and transparency in the process compounds the pain.”

According to her legal team, neither her current location nor her final destination is known. In accordance with Russian protocol, her attorneys and the U.S. Embassy should be notified upon her arrival, but this may take up to two weeks.

According to a senior State Department source who spoke on condition of anonymity, Russia did not inform the United States that Griner was being relocated.

As groups of inmates are assembled and sent to various sites throughout the world’s largest nation, transfers to penal colonies can be time-consuming.

Russia has declined to comment on the status of negotiations, arguing that such diplomacy should not be done in the open.

White House spokeswoman Karinne Jean-Pierre stated, “Despite a lack of good-faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russians through all available channels.”

The senior State Department source continued, “discussions on the proposed swap have not been static.”

An appeal against Griner’s conviction was denied by a Russian court on October 25. Her attorneys have not yet indicated if they would file a second appeal.

Inmates in Russian prison colonies are subjected to a rigorous routine of laborious manual labor, low cleanliness, and inadequate medical care.

Lindsay Colas, Griner’s agent, said in a separate statement, referring to the player by her initials, “Our primary concern continues to be BG’s health and well-being.”

“As we work through this very difficult phase of not knowing exactly where BG is or how she is doing, we ask for the public’s support in continuing to write letters and express their love and care for her,” Colas said.

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