When and why will Joe Biden meet with WNBA star Brittney Griner’s wife?

Several months have passed since the WNBA star was taken into Russian custody and though negotiations still continue, the President of the United States wants to show his support for both her and fellow American, Paul Whelan.

How did Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan get here?

As we now know, Brittney Griner, a seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, was found guilty on drug charges in Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison in August. Griner, has of course been in Russian custody since she was detained back in February at Sheremetyevo International Airport. At the time, Russian Federal Customs Service stated that they had discovered vape cartridges containing the marijuana concentrate hashish oil in Griner’s luggage. There has since been a massive outpouring of support for Griner from the league, her team and many fans as well. Where Whelan is concerned, he has been serving a 16-year prison sentence since being detained in 2020 on charges of espionage.

Joe Biden to meet with Griner’s wife and Whelan’s sister

According to statements from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, President Biden is set to have individual meetings with both Griner’s wife and Whelan’s sister on September 16th. Jean-Pierre noted, that while negotiations are by no means over, Biden wanted to show support for both families. “He wanted to let them know that they remain front of mind and that his team is working on this every day, on making sure that Brittney and Paul return home safely,” Jean-Pierre said during Thursday’s press briefing.

Griner’s case and the complex dialogue between Russia and the U.S.A.

The central argument in Griner’s case, is that her nine-year prison sentence, though not the maximum of 10 years is still very much “excessive.” To that end her lawyers have argued that other defendants in similar cases in Russia have received no more than five years and what’s more, is that at least a third of them were granted parole. On the other hand, the political climate between Russia and the United States at the moment is frigid to say the least.

If there is one positive, however, it’s that just last month - August 11th to be precise - Russian officials acknowledged for the first time that they are in fact negotiating with the American government about a prisoner exchange that could potentially see Griner go home. That declaration was in turn confirmed just two days later with the name of convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout being mentioned as part of the deal. The so called “Merchant of Death” was arrested in Thailand back in 2008 and then extradited to the United States where he is at present serving a 25-year prison term. “The discussions on the very sensitive topic of an exchange are proceeding via the channels chosen by our presidents,” said Alexander Datchiev, head of the North America department at the Russian Foreign Ministry. “Silent diplomacy continues and should bear fruit if Washington, of course, is careful not to fall into propaganda.”