Americans Griner, Whelan May Gain Release From Russia by Year-End, Ex-US Diplomat Says

(Left) Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine, in Moscow on June 15, 2020. (Right) Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) basketball player Brittney Griner at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on Aug. 4, 2022. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)

NEW YORK—WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who are being held in Russia, could gain release by the end of this year, said former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson, who traveled to Moscow in September.

Richardson told CNN in an interview on Sunday that he had met with senior Russian officials and individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his trip, though his visit was not on behalf of the United States.

“I am cautiously optimistic on the Griner [and] Whelan negotiations,” said Richardson, who is also former governor of New Mexico and who has worked privately to secure the release of American detainees abroad.

Richardson added that he thought an exchange of detainees would include two Russians in exchange for the two Americans. He did not identify the Russians or give an exact time frame.

Asked if the two Americans might be released by the end of the year, he said: “I do think so. Now, I hate making predictions, but yes.”

U.S. citizen Griner, a two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist, was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on Aug. 4 after pleading guilty to drug charges. She insisted she inadvertently broke the law when she traveled with vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

Whelan, who holds American, British, Canadian and Irish passports, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in jail after being convicted of spying. He denied the charge.

U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, sits inside a defendants' cage during the reading of the court's verdict in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 4, 2022. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained and accused of espionage, stands inside a defendants' cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow, on June 15, 2020. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

The Biden administration said in late July that it had put forward a “substantial offer” to secure the release of the two Americans.

Negotiations are taking place amid ruptured relations between the two countries after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, which has sparked a U.S.-led effort to punish Moscow with sanctions and isolate it diplomatically.

The White House said last week that it has yet to receive a “serious counter-offer.”

Richardson said he sensed from the Russian officials with whom he had met that Moscow was “ready to talk.” He did not identify the officials.

The Biden administration has distanced itself from Richardson’s trip and efforts in Russia, with senior U.S. officials in recent weeks saying private citizens cannot negotiate on behalf of the U.S. government.

Richardson on Sunday said he had coordinated his work with the White House and noted his previous efforts, including attempts to gain the release of U.S. journalist Danny Fenster, who was detained in Burma (also known as Myanmar) and released last year.