American basketball star Brittney Griner returns to her homeland. US President Joe Biden says he had a conversation with Griner.
US and Russian officials say the US basketball star Brittney Griner has been exchanged for a Russian citizen, To Viktor Bout.
According to the Russian news agency, the exchange of prisoners took place at the Abu Dhabi airport on December 8. President of the United States Joe Biden said on Twitter that he had a conversation with Griner “a while ago”.
– He is safe. He’s on a plane. He’s on his way home, Biden wrote.
Russian authorities arrested 31-year-old Brittney Griner in Moscow in February after hashish oil was found in her luggage.
Griner admitted this, but said it was an honest mistake. He stated that he did not intend to bring a prohibited substance to Russia.
Because of the case, Griner received a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession and smuggling. He also received a fine of 15,800 euros.
Bout is a well-known arms dealer and former Soviet officer who served a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.
Joe Biden hoped less than a month ago that the Russian president Vladimir Putin would seriously discuss the exchange of prisoners with the United States. At the time, Griner had been transferred to a remote detention facility, which drew the ire of the Biden administration.
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