When she was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetytovo airport Feb. 17 for possessing hashish-oil vaping pods, 31-year-old WNBA basketball star Britney Griner could not imagine she would be in a geopolitical vice. Only one week later, the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, starting what’s turned into a nightmare for her and everyone experiencing war on the European Continent. Griner has languished in a Russian jail awaiting trial, now officially a high-value hostage of 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin. Girner wrote President Joe Biden and handwritted letter July 4 begging him to put her a top priority, not sure how much longer she could survive Russian captivity after 140 days. Griner told Biden in her July 4 note she was “terrified I might be here forever,” asking Biden to not “forget about me and other American detainees,” and “do all you can to bring us home.”
State Department officials led by 59-year-old Secretary of State Anton Blinken are involved in high level talks with Russian officials to swap Griner for 56-year-old Russian drug lord Viktor Bout, a former Russian military translator-turned drug kinpin, rotting in a federal prison since 2012. Whether the Griner for Bout swap does the trick is anyone’s guess, but clearly Putin wants as much leverage as possible prosecuting the Ukraine War against a determined U.S. proxy war against his regime. Biden decided early on in the Ukraine War that he must get rid of Putin, telling a crowd in Warsaw, Polance March 26 that Putin should not remain in power. Biden started his presidency on the bad foot calling Putin as “souless killer” March 18, on the eve of a get-to-know-you summit with China in Anchorage, Alaska. Now that Biden’s committed to defeating the Russian Federation, it complicates Griner’s release.
Putin really has no incentive to give Biden any reason to keep his proxy war going against the Russian Federation. While Griner begs Biden to not forget her, Blinken is doing everything possible to strike a deal with his Russian counterpart, 72-year-old Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Blinken, like Biden, has created so much bad blood with the Russian Federation, it’s doubtful the Kremlin cares one lick about getting rid of Griner. Any leverage the Kremlin holds now only helps its ability to exact concession from the White House and Kiev. Griner’s spouse, Cherelle said Britney wrote the letter because she “cherishes the Fourth of July,” a day she likes to honor her Vietnam veteran father. But whatever the reason for writing the letter to Biden, it underscores just how little leverage Biden has in negotiating her release from a Moscow jail anytime soon because of the Ukraine War.
Rotting in a Russian jail for 140 days, Griner has little hope that her situation will change anytime soon. There’s only so many pleas the State Department can make when Biden continues to supply Ukraine unlimited lethal weapons to prosecute the proxy war, using Ukrainian troops, against the Russian Federation. Had Biden treated the war with Ukraine as a border dispute between antagonistic neighbors, Griner’s fate could have been more predictable. But instead of understanding both sides of the conflict, Biden blasted Putin as a “butcher and war criminal,” making the situation impossible for Griner. Griner whose trial started Jul 1 could face up to 10 years in a Russian jail without any prisoner swap or ransom paid by the U.S. government. Putin and Lavrov see Griner as leverage for the Russian Federation, currently in a bitter proxy war with Washington without no signs of letting up..
Russia still holds 52-year-old former marine Paul Whelan since 2018 on espionage charges, something he vigorously denies. But in Griner’s case, the U.S. government says Moscow is “wrongfully detaining Britney Griner,” despite saying nothing about the charges that she possessed hashish oil in Russian territory, a serious drug offense. “President Biden has been clear about the need to see all U.S. nationals who hare help hostage or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Britney Griner. The U.S. government continues to work aggressively—using every available means—to bring her home. The President’s team is in regular contact with Britney’s family and we will continue to work to support her family,” said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson. Watson knows that the abysmal nature of U.S.-Russian relations makes communication all but impossible.
State Department officials haven’t informed Cherelle that things don’t look good for striking a deal with the Russian Foreign Ministry at the moment for Griner’s release. If the U.S. were not in a proxy war with the Russian Federation, it theoretically would help things, but only if Biden changed his attitude toward Putin. Biden can’t call the Russian leader a “butcher and a war criminal” without creating negative consequences for someone like Griner. “I will find that balance of harm vs. help in pushing our government to do everything that is possible because being quiet—they’re not moving, they are not doing anything and so my wife is struggling and we have to help her,” Cherelle said. Cherelle doesn’t understand the state of war that exists between the U.S. and Russian Federation. Negotiating prisoner swaps is tough enough but trying to do it while you’re at war is a whole new ballgame.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
When she was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetytov airport Feb. 17 for possessing hashish-oil vaping pods, 31-year-old WNBA basketball star Britney Griner could not imagine she would be in a geopolitical vice. Only one week later, the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, starting what’s turned into a nightmare for her and everyone experiencing war on the European Continent. Griner has languished in a Russian jail awaiting trial, now officially a high-value hostage of 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin. Girner wrote President Joe Biden and handwritted letter July 4 begging him to put her a top priority, not sure how much longer she could survive Russian captivity after 140 days. Griner told Biden in her July 4 note she was “terrified I might be here forever,” asking Biden to not “forget about me and other American detainees,” and “do all you can to bring us home.”
State Department officials led by 59-year-old Secretary of State Anton Blinken are involved in high level talks with Russian officials to swap Griner for 56-year-old Russian drug lord Viktor Bout, a former Russian military translator-turned drug kinpin, rotting in a federal prison since 2012. Whether the Griner for Bout swap does the trick is anyone’s guess, but clearly Putin wants as much leverage as possible prosecuting the Ukraine War against a determined U.S. proxy war against his regime. Biden decided early on in the Ukraine War that he must get rid of Putin, telling a crowd in Warsaw, Polance March 26 that Putin should not remain in power. Biden started his presidency on the bad foot calling Putin as “souless killer” March 18, on the eve of a get-to-know-you summit with China in Anchorage, Alaska. Now that Biden’s committed to defeating the Russian Federation, it complicates Griner’s release.
Putin really has no incentive to give Biden any reason to keep his proxy war going against the Russian Federation. While Griner begs Biden to not forget her, Blinken is doing everything possible to strike a deal with his Russian counterpart, 72-year-old Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Blinken, like Biden, has created so much bad blood with the Russian Federation, it’s doubtful the Kremlin cares one lick about getting rid of Griner. Any leverage the Kremlin holds now only helps its ability to exact concession from the White House and Kiev. Griner’s spouse, Cherelle said Britney wrote the letter because she “cherishes the Fourth of July,” a day she likes to honor her Vietnam veteran father. But whatever the reason for writing the letter to Biden, it underscores just how little leverage Biden has in negotiating her release from a Moscow jail anytime soon because of the Ukraine War.
Rotting in a Russian jail for 140 days, Griner has little hope that her situation will change anytime soon. There’s only so many pleas the State Department can make when Biden continues to supply Ukraine unlimited lethal weapons to prosecute the proxy war, using Ukrainian troops, against the Russian Federation. Had Biden treated the war with Ukraine as a border dispute between antagonistic neighbors, Griner’s fate could have been more predictable. But instead of understanding both sides of the conflict, Biden blasted Putin as a “butcher and war criminal,” making the situation impossible for Griner. Griner whose trial started Jul 1 could face up to 10 years in a Russian jail without any prisoner swap or ransom paid by the U.S. government. Putin and Lavrov see Griner as leverage for the Russian Federation, currently in a bitter proxy war with Washington without no signs of letting up..
Russia still holds 52-year-old former marine Paul Whelan since 2018 on espionage charges, something he vigorously denies. But in Griner’s case, the U.S. government says Moscow is “wrongfully detaining Britney Griner,” despite saying nothing about the charges that she possessed hashish oil in Russian territory, a serious drug offense. “President Biden has been clear about the need to see all U.S. nationals who hare help hostage or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Britney Griner. The U.S. government continues to work aggressively—using every available means—to bring her home. The President’s team is in regular contact with Britney’s family and we will continue to work to support her family,” said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson. Watson knows that the abysmal nature of U.S.-Russian relations makes communication all but impossible.
State Department officials haven’t informed Cherelle that things don’t look good for striking a deal with the Russian Foreign Ministry at the moment for Griner’s release. If the U.S. were not in a proxy war with the Russian Federation, it theoretically would help things, but only if Biden changed his attitude toward Putin. Biden can’t call the Russian leader a “butcher and a war criminal” without creating negative consequences for someone like Griner. “I will find that balance of harm vs. help in pushing our government to do everything that is possible because being quiet—they’re not moving, they are not doing anything and so my wife is struggling and we have to help her,” Cherelle said. Cherelle doesn’t understand the state of war that exists between the U.S. and Russian Federation. Negotiating prisoner swaps is tough enough but trying to do it while you’re at war is a whole new ballgame.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
