Image of basketball player Brittney Griner during a game. /
“It is a day that we have been waiting for a long time, after arduous negotiations and I want to thank the tireless work of the Administration,” says Biden
The American professional basketball player Brittney Griner, arrested last February in Russia on drug trafficking charges, has finally been released in a prisoner exchange between Moscow and Washington, which has in turn freed Viktor Bout, arrested in the US for arms trafficking. «As a result of the efforts made, it was possible to agree with the American side on the organization of the exchange of Bout for Griner. The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland,” the Russian Foreign Ministry told the TASS news agency.
The US president, Joe Biden, for his part, has also confirmed the return of his citizen. Griner is “safe” and returned to his country after spending “intolerable circumstances” in the Russian prison, the president said at a press conference, in which he stated that “it is a day we have been waiting for a long time, after arduous negotiations and I want to thank the tireless work of the Administration.
“He is in good health”
The player “is in good health, but has lost months of life in unnecessary trauma,” said Biden, who praised the “dignity” exhibited by the athlete during the trial. Griner was sentenced to nine years in jail after Russian authorities found cannabis oil during a search at Moscow airport last February.
During the press conference, Biden also wanted to address another citizen, imprisoned in Russian territory for espionage. It’s about ex-marine Paul Whelan. “We have not forgotten him, unjustly detained in Russia for years. We are not going to give up, we never will, and we will continue negotiating in good faith,” he assured the family of the affected person.
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