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President Joe Biden meets with families of Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan at White House
It’s been 211 days since Brittney Griner was detained in Russia. On Friday, her family spoke with the White House, but there’s no indication she’ll be coming home soon.
WASHINGTON - It’s been 211 days since Brittney Griner was detained in Russia. On Friday, her family spoke with the White House, but there’s no indication she’ll be coming home soon.
"A substantial offer is on the table, and they should accept it," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
President Joe Biden met with families of WNBA star Brittney Griner and Marine veteran Paul Whelan Friday as they serve separate prison sentences in Russia.
The White House said Russia isn’t responding to its offer.
"The Russians have not responded to that offer," National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said.
Griner, a Houston native who played basketball at Baylor University, had cannabis oil in her luggage.
She was convicted of drug smuggling and is appealing her nine-year prison sentence.
US' Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on … (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
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Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges that he and his family say are false.
"This meeting is basically to show that Joe Biden is still trying to create some sort of exchange, some sort of prisoner swap," said William Pomeranz, director of The Kennan Institute.
Pomeranz is an expert of political and economic developments in Russia. He said Russia’s war against Ukraine, sanctions, and other issues make this a low priority for Vladimir Putin.
"It’s really Vladimir Putin who has to agree and accept this prisoner swap," Pomeranz said. "As I said, this is not something that has risen to the top of Putin’s agenda."
The White House will not discuss details of what it calls a "substantial offer" to Russia.
"Now, there has been a lot of talk about Viktour Bout," Pomeranz said.
Russia has long pushed for the release of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. for crimes, including, conspiring to kill Americans. Bout is nicknamed "the merchant of death."
"At the very beginning, it is an uneven exchange between the United States and Russia," Pomeranz said. "And until I think that there are two Russians for two Americans, this exchange will not happen."
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The U.S. said it does not know why Russia is not responding to its offer.
"These two individuals ought to be home anyway. Period," Kirby said. "We want these two individuals home, back where they belong with their families. They should be there already."
Despite Friday’s meeting with Griner’s and Whelan’s loved ones, there’s no indication or timetable of what happens next.
"We’re not going to negotiate in public. All we can tell you right now is that we are doing everything we can," Jean-Pierre said.
Griner’s wife was posting to social media fairly regularly during the first few months of her detainment.
She last posted in July, when she first had a phone call from the president and vice president. We have not heard from her about how this meeting went.