Free Brittney!

It was a significant moment for President Joe Biden-- who has been under public pressure to bring Brittney Griner home.  It took more than nine grueling months to get to this point, but despite the celebrations the administration failed to win freedom for Paul Whelan. 

Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February on drugs charges when vape cartridges containing a small quantity of cannabis oil were found in her luggage - just days before Russia invaded Ukraine. She pleaded guilty but said it was an honest mistake.  The Biden administration declared she'd been wrongfully detained and swung into action. It has made the release of U.S. hostages a priority and created a special envoy for this purpose. But Griner's case was shadowed by added layers of complexity and pressure due to the backdrop of war in the Ukraine. 

Still, the administration in April was able to win the release of an American marine imprisoned in Russia, Trevor Reed. It exchanged him for a Russian pilot sentenced to cocaine trafficking charges in the U.S., demonstrating that the two countries could keep open a channel separate from their geopolitical tensions.  This, together with the publicity surrounding Griner's detention, galvanized the families of other detainees who banded together to lobby for more action from the White House. 

In July, Griner sent a handwritten letter to Biden saying she was afraid she'd be detained indefinitely and pleading with him not to forget her.  Just days later, Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly expressed frustration that Russian counterparts were refusing to engage with what he called a "substantial offer". That was a highly unusual move in the discreet world of hostage diplomacy and a window into what Biden called "painstaking negotiations".

It became clear the Russians wanted a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout - a notorious arms dealer who was serving a 25 year sentence in prison. In Russia he is referred to simply as a businessman, known to have carried out risky aviation trips to dangerous places. It's not clear whether he had connections to Russian intelligence but both Russian and U.S. experts agree that he must have known quite a lot, which is probably why the Kremlin wanted him back.  

It was a big ask and the administration negotiated hard to include Whelan - a corporate security executive who's been jailed for nearly four years. He has been convicted of espionage and is serving a 16-year prison sentence.  Despite Blinken's public statement in July, officials said the talks were stonewalled for months.  In the meantime, Griner received a harsh nine year prison sentence, lost her appeal, and was sent to a remote penal colony in November.  Things looked dark for the basketball player - until Thursday's sudden announcement.

The final agreement came together in the past 48 hours; the sticking point appears to have been the two-for-one deal being pursued by the Biden administration. The Russians made clear Griner was the only option.  "This was not a choice of which American to bring home," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. "The choice was one or none."  Biden made the "very painful" decision to go ahead and Griner and Bout are reported to have passed each other on the tarmac at the Abu Dhabi airport where the exchange took place.  Shortly afterwards the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia released a statement saying their joint mediation efforts had helped secure Griner's release.

Biden thanked the UAE for providing a location for the swap but the White House played down the notion of a formal mediation role. The White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the U.S. was grateful to Saudi Arabia for raising the issue with Moscow but the deal was negotiated by the U.S. and Russia.  Biden officials repeatedly said they regretted that Whelan was not included in the deal and vowed to continue efforts to secure his release.  

There are also reports that Russia refused a multi-person trade to release Paul Whelan because they specifically desired a former colonel from Russia’s domestic spy organization currently in German custody-- even as the U.S. offered up the names of several other Russian prisoners in U.S. custody that they would be willing to trade. Biden was unable to deliver on the request for the ex-colonel, Vadim Krasikov, because he is serving out a life sentence for murder in Germany.

A deal for Whelan also would have been a  difficult sell to the Russian public-- to the average Russian it is a bigger deal to trade away a spy than a sports star.  It was a stark reminder that there are other Americans who've been detained for much longer than 9 months who don't have celebrity status to help propel their case.