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There’s a hint of good news and increased hope that the American government will be able to negotiate the release of Brittney Griner
The WNBA’s Britney Griner has not been outside the minds of the basketball world ever since her detention in Russia began. And it appears she remains within the realm of consciousness for the United States Government as well.
In an interview with CBS’ Margaret Brennan of Face the Nation, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated that conversations about not just Griner, but former Marine Paul Whelan, are ongoing in terms of a potential prisoner swap with the Russians.
Griner, a member of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, has been detained in Russia for almost a year and was convicted in October on a charge of attempting to smuggle narcotics into Russia. Whelan has been in Russia since 2018, and with reports that the Russians are interested in a “one for one” swap involving a convicted Russian arms dealer (known as the merchant of death) Viktor Bout questions are rising about how the U.S. will handle those negotiations.
While Blinken did not provide many details, he did reiterate to Brennan the desire to bring both Griner and Whelan home – and knows that until the job is done, doubt will remain when dealing with the Russian government.
“As they say, Margaret, the proof will be in the pudding. We have to see if the engagements that we’ve had, the discussions that we have produce an actual result. That’s the most important thing. But we are not resting on the laurels of having put forward a proposal some months ago. We’ve been actively engaged over these many months to try to move things forward.”
With Russia’s military movements in Ukraine still bringing on global criticism and support militarily for the Ukrainians, the issue is complicated. And Brittney is caught in the middle.
From Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. wearing hoodies at practice to continued attempts on social media to “free BG”, the sentiments and support for Griner remains strong. However, the difficulty lies in the very real international tensions that exist between the United State and Russia…and between Russia and the world at large. This is a basketball story because Britney Griner – but it is on a broader scale a balancing act of differences between nations and international politics.
It is unfortunate that Griner, one of the best basketball players in the world, is stuck in this tangled geopolitical web. But the good news is that her home country continues to work to get her home. Now comes the important part, where the government must be held accountable – the follow through.
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