1 year ago
36
San Antonio CNN —
Brittney Griner, the American hoops prima detained by Russian authorities successful February, has safely returned to the United States aft being released from custody successful a captive exchange.
Griner, 32, “arrived astatine Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas aboriginal Friday … and was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center for a regular evaluation,” a State Department authoritative told CNN.
US officials who met Griner said she was “in bully spirits” and “incredibly gracious,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN. Griner stepped disconnected the level soon aft 5:30 a.m. ET astatine Kelly Field.
LIVE UPDATES: Brittney Griner’s release, Russia’s warfare successful Ukraine
“So blessed to person Brittney backmost connected US soil. Welcome location BG!” tweeted Roger Carstens, a State Department authoritative traveling with Griner, Friday morning.
Griner’s merchandise was secured aft a captive swap betwixt the US and Russia that progressive planetary arms trader Viktor Bout, who was arrested successful 2008 successful Thailand and extradited to the US successful 2010.
The speech was conducted Thursday successful Abu Dhabi, elder Biden medication officials said. A associated connection from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia said the Gulf countries played a relation mediating the speech betwixt the US and Russia.
It is not a motion of improvements successful US-Russian relations, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
Griner’s arrest and conviction played retired against the backdrop of Russia’s penetration of Ukraine and added further attraction to the plights of different Americans successful Russian custody, including Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed. Whelan’s merchandise could not beryllium secured successful the latest captive swap, portion Reed returned to the US successful April aft a astir three-year ordeal.
The Biden medication volition proceed negotiating with Russia to unafraid Whelan’s release, it said Friday. Russians “have things they privation successful this world,” and Moscow knows yet the 2 sides volition scope “a mutually acceptable statement if they support talking to us,” a elder medication authoritative told CNN.
President Joe Biden said efforts to bring Griner location took “painstaking and aggravated negotiations” arsenic helium thanked members of his medication who were involved.
“This is simply a time we’ve worked toward for a agelong time. We ne'er stopped pushing for her release,” helium said Thursday.
The last woody came unneurotic implicit 48 hours, elder US medication officials said, launching the process of moving Griner from the penal colony wherever she was serving a lengthy sentence. Biden gave last support for the captive swap freeing Griner implicit the past week, an authoritative acquainted with the substance said.
Bout has returned location to Russia, the Russian overseas ministry said Thursday. The captive speech with Griner was “completed successfully astatine Abu Dhabi Airport” connected Thursday, the ministry said.
Griner’s household thanked Biden and his medication Thursday successful a statement, arsenic good arsenic erstwhile New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, whose Richardson Center worked connected behalf of the household to assistance unafraid Griner’s release. They besides expressed gratitude for the outpouring of nationalist enactment they’ve received.
“We sincerely convey you each for the benignant words, thoughts and prayers – including Paul and the Whelan household who person been generous with their enactment for Brittney and our household during what we cognize is simply a heartbreaking time,” the connection said.
“We commune for Paul and for the swift and harmless instrumentality of each wrongfully-detained Americans.”
As Griner’s instrumentality is heralded arsenic a diplomatic achievement, officials and supporters person expressed disappointment Whelan besides couldn’t travel home.
A US, Irish, British and Canadian citizen, Whelan was detained astatine a Moscow edifice successful December 2018 by Russian authorities who alleged helium was progressive successful an quality operation. He was sentenced to 16 years successful situation connected espionage charges helium has vehemently denied. The US State Department has declared him wrongfully detained.
Russia has handled Whelan’s and Griner’s cases otherwise based connected what each has been accused of, it has said, and signaled precocious it lone would negociate implicit Griner, adjacent arsenic the Biden medication made offers to get Whelan released arsenic portion of this deal.
“This was not a prime of which American to bring home,” Biden said Thursday. “Sadly, for wholly illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s lawsuit otherwise than Brittney’s. And portion we person not yet succeeded successful securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We volition ne'er springiness up.”
Whelan was blessed Griner was released but “disappointed” the Biden medication has not done much to unafraid his release, helium told CNN Thursday by telephone from a penal colony successful a distant portion of Russia.
“I don’t recognize wherefore I’m inactive sitting here,” helium said.
The Biden medication has ideas astir “new forms of offers” to effort with the Russians to unafraid Whelan’s release, a elder medication authoritative told CNN connected Thursday. There is simply a designation the US needs to marque disposable “something more, thing different” from what they person offered frankincense far, the authoritative said, not ruling retired offering a Russian spy successful US custody successful a imaginable captive swap.
“There is simply a willingness to wage adjacent a precise large terms connected the portion of this president,” the authoritative said.
Whelan’s household was blessed Griner was headed location but “devastated” helium was near behind, they said Thursday. The Biden medication told Whelan’s household of her merchandise up of the Griner announcement, Paul’s member David Whelan told CNN.
English (US)