President Biden gives remarks after confirming Brittney Griner has been freed from a Russian prison.
RELATED: Life inside the Russian penal colony
Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was held for months in Russian prisons on drug charges, was released Thursday exchange for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, the White House confirmed. "Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home'" President Biden said on Twitter.
The one-for-one exchange was negotiated with Moscow and that President Biden signed off within just the last week, according to sources familiar with the deal. The swap took place on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates. The BBC also reported the release. A White House official told CBS that President Biden was speaking with Griner and her wife.
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#BrittneyGriner #Biden #Live
This is ridiculous for someone that didnt stand for the national anthem, way to go Biden 🙁
Did you make her kiss the flag on her landing in the USA!
Damn this country f a anthem Welcome home sis 👊🏾❤️👊🏾
@Chosen Queen Candice Hughes Ungrateful recognize ungrateful
She never kneeled at the National anthem but she for civil rights
@Brent Waters she never kneeled she just stayed in the locker room while it played
Putin got the better deal his prisoner had value, Griner not worth the ink on the paper..
@Tim Coker I never heard about any teachers being held so I can’t comment you should just be happy for the Americans that comes home
@Tim Coker the Rep Guy R. From Pennsylvania is working on getting him released also it says so they are not forgotten it could happen soon it’s all over the news
@carameltones1 in no way was that trade worth it. The others should’ve been a higher priority. Now we just raised the price for them because we traded an arms dealer for a basketball player
@R. so her life doesn’t matter because others are there what happened to the last president why he didn’t get them out ?? President Biden tried getting him out but they want a spy in return the US doesn’t have any spys being held that’s the reason they put the offer for her to leave but in exchange for that other person they wanted so what’s the difference if Whelan was able to get out but in exchange for another person that could be worst or the same as the man that Griner was exchanged for if it was one of your family members I bet you wouldn’t be on here debating you would just be glad they are able to come home just like any American thats being held they want to just come home
@carameltones1 so it’s ok to put more Americans lives in danger over 1 American that plays basketball?? Meanwhile ignore all the othere Americans who have been imprisoned there a lot longer???
Can u admit the optics of this trade aren’t good at all and makes us look weak to the rest of the world?
Unbelievable, arms dealer is much more valuable. If u know his history this is a terrible deal.
Unless it was you…. Lol
Worst trade in WNBA history
The World is a Joke. Left a marine, gave away an American threat.
They couldn’t get Paul out. Viktor wasn’t enough to release him
They also forgot about the two American teachers that have been locked up a lot longer than grind her, why weren’t they part of the deal????….
The world is not a joke. It’s the people in the world that make it the worst place.
@JC Superstar So we swap to get BG that doesn’t like America. Makes sense.
For Viktor Bout wayyyyyy more should have been traded
ABSOLUTELY CRIMINAL EXCHANGE
Paul whelan, a marine who served his country! FJB!
So are millions of homeless, mentally scared and impoverished vets in this country and most people don’t think twice about them. But people are letting these political chess moves control their feelings and emotions as they know they would.
What the hell is wrong with this administration? Nevermind the Marine who fights for our country and loves our country that is still over there. Let’s trade the pot-head, semi-famous WNBA player for the Merchant of death.
We traded a Bond Villain for Jesse Pinkman. Thanks, Brandon!
Well our service men just found out that they who lay their life on the line for this place are not as important as a basketball player. Truly eye opening for America and this administration.
@DeJounte Morris get didn’t put her in a Russian cell – she did it to herself.
Impeach Biden!
Don’t forget she is a person who kneels during the anthem and then expects the country she disrespects to save her for breaking the law
What a slap in the face to Ukraine and America. The merchant of death will now be fighting on the Russian side. All we got was a WOKE basketball player..
The military learned their place when the left forced them to take an experimental vaccine or be forced out.
I can’t imagine the heart breaking pain the Marine left behind is going through. Knowing that his country has picked an ungrateful disrespectful athlete over a guy that swore his life to his nation. People in the media with any decency need to start a campaign to bring him home. Especially since the U.S. has a reputation of leaving its service members behind. 😒…but I think the Russians intentionally did this to put us against eachother.
@JC Superstar then you walk away from the table. She may have a higher media profile, but he served his country and is in prison on trumped up charges. What did she ever do? Throw a ball throw a hoop and smoke weed? What value is she bringing to society exactly?
All these are political chess moves.
@17thNO You know Biden so dumb he thinks its checkers
We gave Ukraine 40 Billion dollars to fight Russia but release Russia’s greatest international gun/arms dealer. WOW
Im not surprised Mother F@@kers!
So what about all the Americans serving time in hell in this country for possession of a non fatal plant? They’ll let an arms dealer go instead of maybe trading for a military prisoner?
I’m confused so your saying if I take drugs into another country I would be released before a service member or veteran that gave there time to protect us. As a veteran I say B.S.
And yet numerous people are sitting in prison innocent of their crimes, and he’s doing nothing for them…
Right
Only in America athletes are more important than service men and women
CMON Joe you traded the guy who’s known as the merchant of death for a WNBA player.
This is an unbelievable unforced error. Democrat or repuglican, I don’t think anyone besides Griner’s friends and family approves of this. Pootin thoroughly mopped the floor with USA on this one, at a time when he is at his weakest, to boot. The points that he scored in Russia with his followers will also have major implications in prolonging his invasion of Ukraine. Literally, all Biden had to do was do NOTHING. Or throw a few russian hockey players in jail on trumped up charges. What a total disgrace.
What do you expect they will want for Whelan a man they are accusing of spying on them you think getting her out wasn’t easy getting him out isn’t he is worth more value to them but the last president didn’t get him out and this administration is trying
We can’t vote this administration out fast enough… this is ridiculous
@Matthews Test The fact they are this comfortable saying this in front of the people let’s you know how far our nation has fallen. Most of the nation is now “go along to get along”, so most people will refuse to acknowledge why this is a problem. If any administration, red or blue, did something this stupid and careless 15-20 years ago, people would be storming the gates. Our country is truly lost. God bless you bro
@Tim F and that’s the saddest part of it
Or slow enough, they’re gonna cheat to win in 24.
He’ll probably 91+ million next election. The whole thing is rigged and a joke.
Trading Brittney for this arms dealer is no different than trading away the countless lives that this man is going to take once he is freed. I did not want to see Brittney suffer in a Russian prison, but this was not a good trade. Also, what about that older marine that’s been stuck there serving his sentence for way longer? A 2 for 1 deal would have still been a bad deal in this scenario but they could have at least held ground for that.
And he could just as easily insisted on getting her and the Marine for the high grade Russian arms dealer but he didn’t