The Biden administration negotiated her release from the penal colony in exchange for arms dealer, Viktor Bout, according to a senior official—marking one of the most high-profile prisoner swaps between Moscow and Washington since the Cold War. Per NBC News, the president signed off on the trade, which took place in the United Arab Emirates, even though it meant leaving behind Paul Whelan, an American corporate security executive who remains jailed in Russia serving a 16-year sentence for spying (which the U.S. has denied). “She is safe, she is on a plane, she is on her way home,” Biden stated from the White House on Thursday morning. “She will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones and she should have been there all along.” The official POTUS Instagram account also posted the update. Griner will be flown to a medical facility in San Antonio where she will receive care upon her return to the U.S. Her wife, Cherelle Griner, is expected to meet her there, according to the senior administration official. This development ends a nearly year-long saga after Griner, 31, was arrested at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 after authorities allegedly found cannabis oil vape cartridges in her luggage, prompting a criminal charge of drug-smuggling into Russia. Although she pled guilty in July, the athlete noted there was no criminal intent, further clarifying that the canisters—which she had been prescribed to treat chronic pain—were packed inadvertently. After being called upon to initiate action by several high-profile individuals and celebrities, Biden had sought the release of the 32-year-old athlete as well as Whelan in prolonged negotiations between the two countries. “I am telling you, I am determined to get her home and get her home safely – along with others, I might add,” he said on Nov. 9. Griner’s release is an unexpected turn of events, as last month, she began serving a nine-year sentence at a Russian penal colony.
