Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has been released from a Russian penal colony and is in United States custody after a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, President Biden confirmed Thursday morning.
In a news conference at the White House, Biden said the exchange had been in the works for the past two weeks, and he had given the final go-ahead for the swap. Biden spoke with Griner on the phone, and Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, was at the White House on Thursday. The swap took place in the United Arab Emirates."We never forgot about Brittney," Biden said."I'm glad to be able to say Brittney is in good spirits.
"She wrote to me back in July. She didn't ask for special treatment, even though we'd been working on her release from day one. She requested, a simple quote, 'Please don't forget about me and the other American detainees,'" Biden added. Biden said the United States is still working to bring home Paul Whelan, who has been jailed in Russia since 2018 on charges of espionage."So over the last nine months, you all have been so privy to one of the darkest moments of my life, and so today I'm just standing here overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion that I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration," Cherrelle Griner said.
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