Brittney Griner freed in swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout

US basketball star exchanged for man nicknamed 'The Merchant of Death'

American basketball star Brittney Griner, who the US claimed had been wrongfully detained in Russia over alleged drug offences, was released on Thursday and was heading back home via the UAE, President Joe Biden said.

“She is safe,” Mr Biden said after speaking to Griner. He added that she would be back in the US within 24 hours.

Mr Biden thanked his administration and the UAE, which enabled Griner's release along with Saudi Arabia.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner sits in a plane as she flies to Abu Dhabi to be exchanged for arms dealer Viktor Bout, in Russia, Friday, December 9, 2022. Russian Federal Security Service / AP

“Welcome home Brittney,” Mr Biden said at the White House. “She's relieved to finally be heading home.”

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Griner had been traded for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, a convicted arms dealer who had been jailed in the US.

The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation confirmed the country's role in the prisoner swap in a joint statement released with the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

State news agency Wam said Griner had arrived on Thursday in Abu Dhabi on a private plane from Moscow, as Bout arrived on a private plane from Washington.

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said US basketball star Brittney Griner (L) had been traded for Viktor Bout (R) in a prisoner release exchange. AFP

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner sits in the plane as she flies out of Russia on Friday, December 9, 2022. Russian Federal Security Service / AP

President Joe Biden speaks to reporters about Griner's release. Reuters

Cherelle Griner talks about the release of her wife. Reuters

Mr Biden thanked his administration and the UAE, which enabled Griner's release along with Saudi Arabia. AP

Griner in action in an Arizona game in 2021. Getty Images / AFP

'Welcome home Brittney,' Mr Biden said at the White House. AP

Viktor Bout in 2009 before his extradition to the US. AFP

Nicknamed the Merchant of Death, Bout had been serving a 25-year sentence in the US after being convicted of conspiring to kill Americans and aiding a terrorist organisation. AFP

Griner holds a picture of her basketball team from behind bars. AFP

Griner in action at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Reuters

Mr Biden and others speak to Griner by phone after her release from Russia. Reuters

Griner in action in Saitama, Japan. AP

A Griner supporter at a WNBA basketball game in Chicago in August. AP

Paul Whelan, a former US marine who was arrested for alleged spying. Mr Biden said he would would 'never give up' fighting for his release. AP

The entrance of the IK-2 penal colony in Yavas where Griner was held. AFP

The IK-2 penal colony. AFP

“The success of the mediation efforts was a reflection of the mutual and solid friendship between their two countries and the United States of America and the Russian Federation,” the statement added.

A senior US administration official told reporters that the US “leaned on countries around the world at various times in recent weeks and months to convey to the Russians how serious we've been about resolving wrongful detention matters”.

The release comes a day after Wam reported that President Sheikh Mohamed and Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken by phone to discuss “issues of regional and international interest”.

Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, said her family is once again complete.

“Today my family is whole. But as you all are aware, there's so many other families who are not whole,” Ms Griner said.

The Biden administration had also tried to secure the release of Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia since 2018, but Moscow refused.

“BG [Brittney Griner] is not here to say this but I will gladly speak on her behalf and say that BG and I will remain committed to the work of getting every American home, including Paul [Whelan], whose family is in our hearts today as we celebrate BG being at home.”

Mr Biden said he would “never give up” fighting for Mr Whelan's release.

The Whelan family expressed their support for Griner's release but said they were “devastated” Mr Whelan was not included.

Mr Whelan was able to speak to his elderly parents early on Thursday morning. The Marine Corps veteran reacted stoically to the news, his sister Elizabeth said.

“My parents said he was amazingly resilient and courageous,” Ms Whelan told The National.

“I think that he himself has the strength to get through it. What it is, the uncertainty, is how the Russians will treat him over the long term and that, I think, is what we're all concerned about.”

Mr Whelan's brother David said in a statement: “Paul has worked so hard to survive nearly four years of this injustice.

“His hopes had soared with the knowledge that the US government was taking concrete steps for once towards his release. He'd been worrying about where he'd live when he got back to the US.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked the US hostage release team for its work in securing Griner's freedom and extended his “deep appreciation” to “our Emirati friends, who assisted in the transfer today”.

Mr Blinken added that despite the US government's best efforts to free both Mr Whelan and Griner, “this was not a choice of which American. The choice was one or none.”

The Secretary of State told CBS News that he had “recently” spoken to Mr Whelan's sister.

He called the family “remarkable”.

Jonathan Franks, who worked on the earlier release of Trevor Reed, a US military veteran, welcomed Griner's release — but feared what it might mean for Mr Whelan.

Mr Reed, a former marine, was released in a separate prisoner exchange in April.

“I don't think we can pass off or completely discount the fact that they did this out of political expedience,” Mr Franks told The National.

“They wanted Brittney Griner home before Christmas and they got her, so I think that they can go get Paul.”

Ms Whelan believes that it is time for the Biden administration to start thinking “out of the box” to find solutions to get her brother home.

She has spent much of the past four years shuttling back and forth from her art studio in Massachusetts to Washington, where she has tirelessly advocated her brother's release.

With Bout off the table, it becomes a lot less clear how that might come about.

“We can't just keep doing what we've been doing,” she said. “If we're going to break this logjam, we've got to come up with some more creative thinking.”

Griner had been sentenced to nine years in prison and was moved to a penal colony last month.

The Phoenix Mercury basketball star, who played in Russia during the off-season, pleaded guilty to drug smuggling in July after customs officials found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport in February.

Mr Biden called the sentence unacceptable.

Nicknamed the Merchant of Death, Bout had been serving a 25-year sentence after being convicted of conspiring to kill Americans and aiding a terrorist organisation.

Phoenix Mercury centre Brittney Griner during the first half of Game 2 of the WNBA Finals against the Chicago Sky. AP

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and WNBA champion, was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying in her luggage vape cartridges with cannabis oil. AFP

Griner leaving a courtroom after a hearing in May. The Phoenix Mercury star, considered in some polls to be the US’s most gifted female athlete, could face 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of large-scale transportation of drugs. AP

Griner asked US President Joe Biden to free her from a Russian prison in a handwritten letter on July 4, 2022, portions of which were made public by her family. AFP

Grineris escorted before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia on July 1, 2022. Reuters

The US stepped up its push in March for consular access to Griner, who is detained in Russia on allegations of drug smuggling. AP

Griner at the White House alongside teammates. Photo: US National Archives

Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury celebrates with fans. Getty Images North America / AFP

A man holds a sign for Brittney Griner Home during the first half of the WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. EPA

Griner, a player of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury team was arrested in February at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after some hash oil was detected and found in her luggage, for which she now could face a prison sentence of up to ten years. EPA

Fans hold signs Griner during the first half of the WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. EPA

A sign for Griner is displayed during a game between Portland Thorns FC and Angel City FC at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images / AFP

The Khimki City Court reportedly had extended Greiner's detention for the duration of her trial on charges of drug smuggling that started on 01 July. EPA

Griner gestures during a game against Australia at Saitama Super Arena in their Tokyo 2020 Olympic women's basketball quarterfinal game in Saitama, Japan August 4, 2021. Reuters

Dallas Wings' Marina Mabrey wears shoes that have a "BG" logo on them, a reference to Brittney Griner, during the second half of the team's WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever, Thursday, June 23, 2022, in Arlington, Texas. AP

"We Are BG 42" is displayed on the exterior of Footprint Center before the WNBA game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Minnesota Lynx on June 21, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. Getty Images / AFP

Minnesota Lynx's Aerial Powers wears a shirt in support of Griner during introductions for the team's WNBA basketball game against the Seattle Storm. Star Tribune / AP

Griner poses with her gold medal in Women's Basketball at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, August 8, 2021. Reuters

Brittney Griner with teammates Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins posing for pictures with their gold medals on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women's basketball competition of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. AFP