Meeting at the White House for a second time, 31-year-old Russian prisoner Britteny Griner’s wife Cherelle was reassured by 79-year-old President Joe Biden that he’s doing everything possible to get her out. Yet when Girner met with Biden Sept. 17, it was the same answer, were working on getting Brittney out. Today’s meeting included 45-year-old National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, also not leveling with Cherelle about the real chances of a prisoner swap while Biden fights a bloody proxy war using Ukrainian troops. Kremlin officials see things differently, with Biden looking only at the Midterm elections, saving as many House and Senate seats as possible. “In this tense situation, I think that he [Biden] is thinking first and foremost about the upcoming midterm elections,” said Yury Ushakov on Moscow state-run TV program “Moscow Kremlin Putin,”
Biden and Sullivan aren’t telling Cherelle the truth about the Ukraine War, that prevents any kind of prisoner swap until the conflict is resolved. Why would 70-year-old President Vladimir Putin cut any deal with Biden when the White House supplies Ukraine unlimited cash-and-lethal-weapons to topple Putin’s government? Ukraine’s 44-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky, boldly said last week that he would enter into ceasefire and peace talks only if Putin is removed from president. With that kind of arrogance, how can Cherelle think Brittney’s going to get released from a Moscow prison? “He [Biden] keeps emphasizing the need to bring Griner back home . . . However, it’s not the main issue that we are concerned about,” said Uskakov. Ushakov would like to see movement on a ceasefire and peace talks to end the Ukraine War, not talk of prisoner swaps.
Griner’s stuck in Russian custody because of her own doing, bringing cannabis-laced vape-cartridges in the luggage when she entered Moscow’s Sheremetyev airport Feb. 17, only a week before the Feb. 24 Ukraine War. Griner’s defense left the judge no choice but to throw the book at her, saying, on the one hand, her actions were inadvertent, while, on the other hand, telling the judge she had a prescription from the State of Arizona for medical marijuana. Whatever the excuses, Biden, 59-year-old Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Sullivan antagonize Russian officials saying Griner was “wrongfully detained.” So, if Griner were detained in Saudi Arabia, another country with strict cannabis laws, would they be saying she was “wrongfully detained.” Kremlin Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told U.S. officials that Moscow is not San Francisco or some other marijuana-friendly venue.
Reports about Griner’s harsh treatment in a Russian penal colony should remind Biden to put-up-or-shut up about seeking her release. Biden can’t have it both ways, say he wants to strike a prisoner swap, while he uses Ukrainian troops to topple Putin. If Biden really wants to help Griner get out of jail, he needs to move the Ukraine War from the battlefield to the peace table in Istanbul or elsewhere. As it stands now, Griner’s chances of getting out, including with all the help for former U.N. Amb. and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, are slim-and-none. Richardson is kidding himself thinking Griner will get out by year’s end without some major change in the Ukraine War. Biden’s vendetta with Putin has harmed the U.S. and world economy, leaving developing countries, according to the IMF and World Bank, with punishing high interest rates to finance energy and food purchases.
Biden and his national security team have done nothing but harm U.S. national security since taking office. When it comes to Griner, the White House has to make some tough decisions about how to go forward subsidizing Ukraine to fight a proxy war against the Russian Federation. If the White House really wants to get Griner out of jail and improve U.S. national security, they’re going to have to let U.N. peacemakers intervene to stop the wasteful and destructive war no hitting eight months. All the nonsense about Putin having a terminal illness or Russia running our of troops and equipment, gets the U.S. nowhere. IMF and World Bank officials told the White House they are damaging the world economy, fueling inflation and pushing the world economy into recession. Biden can’t continue the Ukraine War much longer without wreaking economic havoc on everyone, including the U.S.
All the claptrap coming from the White House about Brittney Griner helps the White House divert attention away from the destructive Ukraine proxy war against the Russian Federation. “We’re going to continue to do everything that we can, working tirelessly every day, to make sure that we get them home,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, after Biden’s meeting with Cherelle. White House officials should level with Cherelle about the Ukraine War, telling the truth about any prospect in the near future of getting Griner out of her nightmare in Russian prison. Biden and Zelensky have rejected any suggestion by Russian officials to move the conflict to the peace table. Both think that if they keep fighting, destroying Ukraine, they’ll have a better chance getting lost sovereign territory returned to Kiev. Biden and Zelensky keep the war going at their own peril.
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
