WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been imprisoned for months in Russia on drug possession charges, met with U.S. Embassy officials in Russia, the White House’s spokeswoman said Thursday.
“We are told she is doing as well as can be expected under thecircumstances,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said aboard Air Force One on Thursday.
Griner is serving a nine-year prison sentence after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport. In a Twitter post, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that U.S. Embassy officials “saw firsthand her tenacity and perseverance despite her present circumstances.”
“We continue to press for the immediate release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan and fair treatment for every detained American,” Price added.
Jean-Pierre reiterated that the U.S. made a “significant offer” to Russia in order to bring home Griner and fellow American Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage. The U.S. considers both Americans wrongfully detained.
“As we have said before, the U.S. government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens, Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan,” Jean Pierre said Thursday.
“In the subsequent weeks, despite a lack of good-faith negotiations by the Russians, [the] U.S. government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russians through all available channels,” she added.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
Spectrum News’ Austin Landis and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
