The hectic final chapter to Brittney Griner's time in Russia

The invitation Cherelle Griner received to the White House connected Thursday greeting was to conscionable with nationalist information advisor Jake Sullivan. This wasn't her archetypal travel to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but it was the archetypal clip officials didn't enactment to little her expectations earlier she got there.

When she arrived, she was taken to the Oval Office and greeted not by Sullivan, but by his boss, President Joe Biden. The woody is happening, helium told her. A infinitesimal aboriginal helium got a telephone telephone and they heard the quality together: Brittney Griner was backmost successful U.S. custody.

The telephone was patched done to Griner, who was lasting connected a tarmac successful Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, wearing a knit headdress implicit her precocious shorn hair. President Biden spoke first.

"It's Joe Biden," helium said, according to a White House official. "Welcome -- invited home."

Cherelle Griner was past led to a backstage eating country wherever she could talk with her woman -- a escaped pistillate for the archetypal clip successful 294 days -- without Russian officials listening in. And sometime successful the precise aboriginal hours Friday, she was expected to greet her woman aft she landed successful San Antonio.

Government officials and sources adjacent to Griner interviewed Thursday described a hectic last section to Griner's clip successful Russia.

For months, U.S. officials said privately, and occasionally publicly, that Russia simply wouldn't prosecute successful negotiations. The United States offered to commercialized convicted arms merchant Viktor Bout, 12 years into a 25-year sentence, for Griner and erstwhile marine Paul Whelan, who has been successful Russian custody connected espionage charges for 4 years. But Russia ne'er showed a willingness to commercialized Whelan, respective medication officials said connected information of anonymity.

"We person been raising Paul Whelan's lawsuit with the Russians since the earliest days of this administration," 1 elder medication authoritative said during a inheritance briefing.

A White House authoritative told ESPN connected Thursday that the United States astatine 1 constituent offered a consecutive commercialized of Bout for Whelan, who has 12 years remaining connected his sentence.

"It was a nonstarter," the White House authoritative said. Russian officials said they considered Whelan to beryllium a "different class" of captive than Griner oregon Bout. But officials said their Russian counterparts person not offered immoderate counterproposal involving Whelan.

From July until a fewer weeks ago, the White House root told ESPN, U.S. officials did not marque further circumstantial offers to Russia, not wanting to overgarment themselves into a corner. Instead, the root said, officials spoke mostly astir what benignant of prisoners they mightiness beryllium consenting to exchange.

U.S. officials had hoped that Russia mightiness beryllium acceptable to negociate successful earnest aft the Nov. 8 midterm elections, knowing that Vladimir Putin's authorities would not privation to springiness Biden immoderate benignant of governmental triumph earlier that.

Instead, Griner was transferred from the Moscow jailhouse wherever she had been kept since February to a penal colony, wherever officials and her household feared for her wellness and safety.

Maria Blagovolina, 1 of Griner's 2 Russian lawyers, said Thursday her client's beingness successful the IK-2 situation wasn't arsenic atrocious arsenic it mightiness person been. "She had honestly nary complaints," Blagovolina said. "Things could person been overmuch worse."

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Watch immoderate of the archetypal recorded video of Brittney Griner aft she boards a charter level and begins her instrumentality location to the United States.

Most of the women astatine IK-2 enactment during the time sewing uniforms, but the 6-foot-9 Griner was excessively gangly to beryllium astatine the worktables, and her hands were excessively ample to negociate the sewing. Instead, she carried cloth each time and said she liked the job, compared to what she mightiness person been doing.

Griner precocious had the flu but was connected the mend, Blagovolina said.

Griner made 1 determination portion determination that came arsenic a astonishment to fans who saw video of her Thursday: Her signature hairsbreadth had disappeared. Blagovolina said Griner chopped it 2 Sundays agone and had told her attorneys she planned to bash it to marque beingness a small easier during the Russian winter. It was wide Griner was preparing herself for the agelong haul.

"It's precise acold successful determination and each clip she washed her hairsbreadth she got acold and would get a chill," she said. "She should person waited until New Year's Day."

Within the past mates of weeks, medication officials said, Russia yet offered a proposal, saying it would beryllium consenting to bash a one-for-one commercialized of Griner for Bout. U.S. officials accidental they were convinced the prime was either Griner oregon neither of them, and Whelan would person to stay successful Russia for the clip being.

President Biden decided past week to marque the deal. The medication took steps to debar the mistake it made successful April erstwhile it traded to bring American Trevor Reed location without telling the Whelans that Paul wasn't portion of that deal. This time, an medication authoritative went to sojourn Paul's sister, Elizabeth, successful person.

On Monday, Blagovolina said, she was told that Griner had been moved to a Moscow jail, the astir promising of signs.

For the adjacent fewer days, "complete silence," she said. "It was benignant of stressful. We were disquieted astir her -- she didn't person her glasses; she broke her glasses and we didn't cognize if she was getting food."

Thursday morning, the connection came: Griner was headed to an airport.

(One funny improvement Thursday was an announcement by Saudi officials that Saudi Arabia had helped broker the deal. Several medication officials said they were not alert of immoderate relation the Saudi authorities played successful negotiations.)

What happens adjacent volition beryllium up to Griner. Once she was released from custody, she became the ineligible guardian of her ain fate. After astir 10 months of being told erstwhile to rise, erstwhile to sleep, erstwhile to eat, erstwhile to work, portion diplomats she ne'er met haggled implicit her freedom, the U.S. authorities was legally bound to grant her wishes.

The program was for her to onshore successful San Antonio and enactment successful Brooke Army Medical Center for observation. She mightiness request aesculapian and nutritional treatment, and determination volition beryllium large attraction paid to her intelligence health. The program has been to determination her to a private, unafraid determination erstwhile she's ready. She volition person proposal from the authorities and from advocacy groups astir the healthiest mode to resume her life. But the decisions volition beryllium hers.