Comment Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Russia met with jailed WNBA star Brittney Griner, the White House announced Thursday. “We’ve been told he’s doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One after the State Department confirmed the meeting. Griner has been sentenced to 9.5 years in prison for transporting less than a gram of cannabis oil, which is illegal in Russia, into the country where she has been imprisoned since her February 17 arrest. Last week, a Russian court rejected Griner’s appeal of her prison sentence. Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Russia continued to refuse a “significant offer” from the United States to “resolve the current unacceptable and illegal detention” of Griner and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine also imprisoned in Russia. “Despite the lack of good faith negotiations by the Russians, the US government has continued to monitor this offer and to suggest alternative possible ways with the Russians through all available channels,” Jean-Pierre said. “This continues to be a top priority.” The US government has long characterized Griner’s arrest as “unlawful detention.” Last week, after the appeal was rejected by the Russian court, Griner’s lawyers they said they would discuss with their client the possibility of further appeals and that they intended to use “all available legal tools”. Once the appeal process is completed, he is to be transferred to a penal colony. This is a developing story and will be updated. Maite Fernández Simon and Mary Ilyushina contributed to this report.
