Biden speaks to Brittney Griner after prisoner-swap with Russia: 'She is in good spirits'

US President Joe Biden has revealed that he has spoken to Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) star Brittney Griner following her release from Russian detention. Biden took to Twitter and revealed that Griner was on her way back to the US while stating, “Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home." 

Meanwhile, the US official also informed that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone with Griner, adding that she was in good spirits.

President Biden further attached two images in the tweet of him meeting Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner at the White House. The WNBA star was detained in Russia on February 17 over allegations of smuggling drug products into the Russian Federation and subsequently pleaded guilty on July 7 following which she was arrested and locked up in a Russian prison.  

What went down in the prisoner swap?

The dramatic high-level prisoner exchange came after US authorities agreed to release notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The swap comes at a time when Washington and Moscow have locked horns over the ongoing war in Ukraine. Following her arrest, Brittney Griner became the most prominent American detained abroad. Moreover, the months-long imprisonment of the two-time Olympic gold medalist brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.  

Viktor Bout has been in detention in the US since 2011 after being convicted on charges including conspiring to kill US citizens. However, the Russian arms dealer has been freed, having served less than half of his 25-year prison sentence.  

Meanwhile, addressing the nation from the White House, President Joe Biden said "Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones" while formally announcing her release from Russian detention. He also promised to continue working to bring home another US citizen jailed in Russia.

“Moments ago, standing together with her wife Cherelle in the Oval Office, I spoke with Brittney Griner,” President Biden said. “She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home after months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances. Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along,” he added.