The US and Russia have exchanged jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, held in an American prison for 12 years.
President Joe Biden said Griner was safe and on a plane home from the United Arab Emirates. “I’m glad to say Brittney’s in good spirits.. she needs time and space to recover,” he said at the White House.
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possessing cannabis oil and sent to a penal colony last month. The Biden administration proposed a prisoner exchange last July, aware Moscow had long sought Bout’s release. Russia’s foreign ministry confirmed the swap and said it occurred at Abu Dhabi airport. “The U.S. returned the Russian citizen to his homeland,” it said.