Photo Courtesy of WNBA/Twitter
It has been announced that the U.S. Embassy officials met with detained WNBA player Brittney Griner.
The White House confirmed the news at a live press conference last week.
“We are told she is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “As we have said before, the U.S. government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens Brittany Griner and Paul Whalen.”
Whalen is another American citizen who Russians arrested after being accused of being a spy. Jean-Pierre stated that Griner’s situation is a “top priority” and that the government is continuing to negotiate with the Russians.
Ned Price, State Department spokesperson, also confirmed Griner’s meeting with the embassy in a Twitter post.
“.@USEmbRU officials visited Brittney Griner today,” the post read. “They saw firsthand her tenacity and perseverance despite her present circumstances. We continue to press for the immediate release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan and fair treatment for every detained American.”
As News Onyx has previously reported, Griner was sentenced to nine years by a Russian judge for having a small amount of cannabis oil in her possession while at a Moscow airport.
Griner’s wife, Cherelle, has been outspoken about Griner’s situation. At the Glamour Women of the Year awards, she encouraged people to write supporting letters to Griner through the Brittney Griner website or by using the hashtag #WeAreBG after stating she wasn’t “100% not okay” while detained in Russia.
“She is 100% not okay, and there is little I can do to ease her pain. But I believe from the bottom of my heart that while I can’t bring her back, words can make a difference,” Cherelle said.
Griner’s team tried to appeal the court’s decision in hopes of reducing her sentence, but the appeal was denied.