President Biden made dramatic news Thursday when he announced that WNBA star Brittney Griner was on her way back to the United States.
Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury, had been arrested on drug charges at a Moscow-area airport on February 17, just as Russian President Vladimir Putin was on the cusp of invading Ukraine.
Griner subsequently pleaded guilty to the charges, which related to vape cartridges containing marijuana oil that were found in her luggage. Since last month, she had been held in a penal colony with an especially bleak reputation.The case — and the perception that Griner was being treated in a draconian way by the Russians for political reasons — meant that her plight drew massive media attention. She received vocal support from the worlds of American sports and popular culture.Biden announced her release at a brief White House event, where he was accompanied by Griner’s wife Cherrelle, Vice President Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.“This is a day we’ve worked toward for a long time,” Biden said. “We never stopped pushing for her release.”Griner’s release will be welcome news to millions of Americans, and the White House celebrated it on Thursday. But the complications are considerable. First, Paul Whelan, an American citizen and former Marine jailed on espionage charges, remains imprisoned in Russia, having been arrested in late 2018.