Biden releases US Marine Brittney Griner from Russian prison

Joe Biden was in the White House and announced the release of Brittney Griner from prison in Russia, where she has been held for the past 10 months. Griner was exchanged for the convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, a former K.G. B. officer and personal friend of Vladimir Putin.

Moments ago, I spoke to Brittney Griner, along with her wife Cherelle, in the Oval Office. She is safe, she s on a plane, she s on her way home after months of being held under intolerable circumstances in Russia. Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along. Biden thanked officials in his administration who worked for her release as well as the United Arab Emirates, because that is where she landed. Griner s Wife thanks Biden, Says She'll Work For More Prisoner Releases

Over the last nine months, you all have been so fortunate to be in one of the darkest moments of your life, and so today I'm just overwhelmed with emotions but the most important emotion that I have right now is sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration, Cherelle Griner said at the White House Thursday morning.

Today, my family is whole, but as you all know, there are so many other families that are not whole, she added, referring to Americans still in Russian detention, including former US Marine Paul Whelan, who many thought would be included in the Griner-Bout prisoner exchange.

We've not forgotten about Paul Whalen, who has been unjustly detained in Russia for years. This was not a choice of American to bring home. We brought home Trevor Reed when we had a chance earlier this year. Russia is treating Paul's case differently than Brittney's for totally illegitimate reasons, Biden said.

The Biden administration has made a number of offers, including a visit by the former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richarson traveled to Moscow to make Whelan part of the prisoner swap. It was a choice to get Brittney or nothing, a US official said, calling it a difficult decision for Biden but one he felt he had to make.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who had been playing for the last seven years on a Russian basketball team, was arrested one week before Russia invaded Ukraine. She was later charged with nine years in prison for possessing less than a gram of cannabis oil.

Watch Biden make the announcement with VP Harris and Cherelle Griner: