PAUL WHELAN

Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations, says he's hopeful about the chances of a two-for-two prisoner swap that could result in the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.

Russia will discuss a prisoner exchange involving the basketball star but not in public, said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The Kremlin says it’s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue.

The White House has urged Russia to accept its offer of a deal for the release of Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan

Now that WNBA star Brittney Griner has been convicted of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison, attention turns to the prospect of a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia that could get her home.

Russia will regard any prisoner swap as a propaganda win. But the real message we can proclaim is about American values.

A judge in Russia convicted American basketball star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling.

Several reports said the United States government has offered to swap the so-called “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout for Griner and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan. Several reports said the United States government has offered to swap the so-called “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout for Griner and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan. During her testimony, Griner told the court that she’s still unsure how cannabis oil ended up in her luggage. She said a doctor recommended cannabis oil for her injuries on the basketball court. “I didn’t have any intent to use or keep in my possession any substance that is prohibited in Russia,” Griner said.

American basketball star Brittney Griner is back in court for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release.

Since Brittney Griner last appeared in her trial for cannabis possession, the question of her fate has expanded from a cramped courtroom on Moscow’s outskirts to the highest level of Russia-U.S. diplomacy.

Russian officials are asking that a former colonel from Russia’s domestic spy agency be included in the proposed prisoner swap, according to CNN.

Russia wants to add murderer to prisoner swap for Griner, Whelan: Report

It was the first time he and Sergey Lavrov have spoken since Russia invaded Ukraine six months ago.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has spoken to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and urged Moscow to accept a U.S. proposal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan.

Russia's top diplomat says he’s open to a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss a possible prisoner swap involving American basketball star Brittney Griner.

The Biden administration likes to say Russia is isolated internationally because of its invasion of Ukraine.

There is growing speculation that the Russian arms dealer could be released from U.S. prison in exchange for Russia freeing Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.

There is growing speculation that the Russian arms dealer could be released from U.S. prison in exchange for Russia freeing Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.

Russian officials said Thursday that negotiations had been taking place for a possible prisoner swap between the United States and Russia, but that a deal had not yet been reached.

The Kremlin has warned that a possible prisoner swap with the United States involving American basketball star Brittney Griner needs to be negotiated quietly without fanfare.

The secretary of state said securing the Americans' release remains a "top priority" for the U.S.

The Biden administration is seeking the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and ex-Marine Paul Whelan.

It is unclear what the deal is, or whether it will be enough for Russia to release the Americans.

The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.

The U.S. has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken also said he expects to speak with his Kremlin counterpart for the first time since before Russia invaded Ukraine. The statement marked the first time the U.S. government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial.

WNBA star Brittney Griner testified at her drug possession trial in Russia that an interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during questioning when she was detained at Moscow’s airport in February and officials told her to sign documents without giving an explanation.

The latest Russian court hearing in the drug trial of American basketball star Brittney Griner has focused on testimony about countries that regard cannabis as having legitimate medicinal uses.

The spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry says the United States has shown disrespect for Russian law by characterizing basketball star Brittney Griner’s jailing on drug charges as “wrongful detention.”.

We should not abandon our citizens in their time of need. But our efforts to bring Brittney Griner home shouldn't hinge on an ill-advised trade.

A lawyer for the WNBA star at her drug possession trial in Russia gave the court a U.S. doctor's letter recommending she use medical cannabis to treat pain. Medical marijuana is not legal in Russia.

In Russia’s judicial system, admitting guilt doesn’t automatically end a trial.

A lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner at her drug possession trial has given a Russian court a letter from a U.S. doctor recommending she use cannabis to treat pain.

Sports Seriously: Former NBA star Tracy McGrady discusses why Russell Westbrook's play style doesn't fit on the Lakers roster with LeBron James.

The drug possession trial of WNBA star Brittney Griner has resumed, with the head of the Russian club she plays for in the offseason and a teammate from that squad testifying in support of her character and what she has meant for women’s basketball in the country.

A Russian arms dealer labeled the “Merchant of Death” and who once inspired a Hollywood movie is back in the headlines again.

LeBron James is publicly criticizing the United States’ handling of WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner’s case in a trailer for an upcoming episode of his television show: “The Shop: Uninterrupted.”.

President Joe Biden has spoken by phone with the sister of Paul Whelan, an American who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than three years.

When Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession in a Russian court, hopes rose that her months of detention may soon be over, either through a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap or a pardon from President Vladimir Putin.

Griner was arrested at a moment of severe tension between Washington and Moscow, that has worsened with Russia’s war on Ukraine

WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on the second day of her trial in a Russian court in a case that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Brittney Griner’s appeal to President Joe Biden in a handwritten letter continued to garner reaction Tuesday after the WNBA All-Star acknowledged she feared never returning home and asked Biden not “forget about me and the other American Detainees.”.

Viktor Bout, whose wild exploits once inspired a Hollywood film starring Nicolas Cage, is serving a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has gone on trial in a Russian court on charges of possessing cannabis oil.

WNBA star Brittney Griner appeared in a court near Moscow that ordered her trial on cannabis possession charges to begin Friday, about 4 1/2 months after she was arrested at an airport while returning to play for a Russian team.

Brittney Griner will have a place at the WNBA All-Star Game.

State Department officials have met with representatives of Brittney Griner’s WNBA team about the Phoenix Mercury star’s monthslong detention in Russia and the Biden administration’s efforts to secure her release.

Penny Taylor used her induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame to call for the release of her former Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is easily the most prominent American locked up by a foreign country.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed 10 gun-related bills on Monday, making the state one of the first to enact legislation amid a wave of deadly mass shootings in the U.S. (June 6)

Brittney Griner has been able to receive emails and letters from WNBA players to an account Griner’s agent set up to allow them to communicate with her.

UMM AL-QUWAIN, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The hulking, Soviet-era cargo plane has sat for decades under the blazing sun in a remote corner of the United Arab Emirates, its four jet engines silent after years in the employ of a Russian gunrunner known as the “Merchant of Death.” The emirate of Umm al-Quwain plans a $675 million development on a island just across a lagoon from the deactivated airport where Bout's plane sits.

The State Department said Tuesday that it still pushing to have regular contact with WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for nearly three months.

Relatives of American hostages and wrongful detainees are trying to get the Biden administration's attention in hopes of getting their loved ones home.

A series of factors helped pave the way for Trevor Reed's release from a Russian prison this week as part of a prisoner exchange.

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner, who was detained at a Moscow airport after agents accused her of having of cannabis oil, remains in Russian custody.

Brittney Griner remains detained in Russia and it’s unclear how an unexpected prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia that freed marine veteran Trevor Reed will affect the status of the WNBA star.

Russia and the United States have exchanged prisoners.

WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is easily the most prominent American citizen known to be jailed by a foreign government.

The Phoenix Mercury are preparing for their WNBA season without teammate Brittney Griner.

A’ja Wilson wishes that she and her USA Basketball teammates could do more to help Brittney Griner right now.

Serhyi Malyshenkon displays medals awarded to him by the USSR for his military service – all now charred after his house in Yasnohorodka, Ukraine, was destroyed by Russian shelling. "This house never did anything wrong to anyone."

Two of Brittney Griner’s USA Basketball teammates have broken their silence on the star player’s imprisonment in Russia.

The U.S. State Department says a U.S. Embassy official has visited with WNBA star Brittney Griner, who remains detained near Moscow, to check on her condition.

The United States has demanded consular access to WNBA star Brittney Griner, who is faring well behind bars in Russia, according to a member of a Russian state-backed prison monitoring group.

The already challenging path to bringing home Americans jailed in Russia and Ukraine is even more complicated now with a war overwhelming the region and increasingly hostile relations between the United States and the Kremlin.

Families of American hostages and detainees say they're frustrated with the Justice Department over what they see as the agency's refusal to consider prisoner exchanges that could get their loved ones home.

The two-year case against Calvey further tainted Russia’s reputation for foreign investment and divided Moscow’s business community.

A Moscow court has rejected an imprisoned American’s appeal against his nine-year sentence for assaulting police officers.

Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed are imprisoned in Russia.

Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin of Russia spent more than three hours discussing issues Wednesday at their summit in Geneva.

Both families are calling on President Biden to help secure the release of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed.

Both families are calling on President Biden to help secure the release of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed.

There are growing concerns about one American who risks being left behind as the U.S. moves to withdraw its military from Afghanistan.

The Biden administration must determine how to handle that commitment. Frerichs' supporters are concerned that a drawdown of military personnel from Afghanistan leaves the U.S. without the leverage it needs to demand his release. AdThe State Department is offering $5 million for information leading to Frerichs' return. We will not stop working until we secure his safe return home,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. “You don’t leave Americans behind, and I just really want to make sure that he’s home safe.”AdBlinken told reporters Wednesday that the Biden administration wanted to take a detailed look at that deal, saying.

This image provided by Joey Reed, shows Trevor Reed and his mom Paula Reed in 2014 in Arlington, Texas. The parents of Trevor Reed spoke Monday to The Associated Press as a Russian court sentenced another American man to more than a decade in prison in an unrelated espionage case. They spoke out as a Russian court sentenced another American to more than a decade in prison in an unrelated espionage case. But instead of taking him for medical care, as the family says is standard protocol in Moscow, officers drove him to the police station. We would hope that Russian law is followed and due process is used in my sons case, Joey Reed said.

MOSCOW A Russian court on Monday sentenced an American businessman to 16 years in prison on spying charges, a sentence that he and his brother rejected as being political. The Moscow City Court read out the conviction of Paul Whelan on charges of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a maximum security prison colony. Whelan, who was arrested in Moscow in December 2018, has insisted on his innocence, saying he was set up. Whelan, who also holds British, Irish and Canadian citizenship, denies the charges of spying for the U.S. that his lawyers said stem from a sting operation. Whelan has publicly complained of poor prison conditions in Russia and has said his life is in danger.

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan speaks from inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, June 20, 2019. REUTERSMoscow A Russian court has upheld an earlier ruling allowing the extended detention of a former U.S. Marine jailed in Moscow on espionage charges. Moscow's appellate court rejected Paul Whelan's appeal Tuesday against the ruling last year that granted Russian authorities permission to keep him in custody until March 29, pending a trial. Paul Whelan, American accused of spying in Russia, to remain in prisonDays after he arrived in Russia, new U.S. Whelan's Russian lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov said he and his team were almost done going over the case files with their client, all of which remain classified.

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained and accused of espionage, speaks inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing to consider an appeal to extend his detention in Moscow, Russia June 20, 2019. REUTERSMoscow -- The U.S. Embassy in Moscow says the condition of an American man held on spying charges in Russia has worsened. The Embassy said on Twitter Monday that Russian authorities had rejected a request to send a doctor to examine Paul Whelan. U.S. intelligence sources say American jailed in Russia not a spyU.S. intelligence and State Department sources have told CBS News they're confident Whelan is not a spy. At the hearing in May during which his detention was extended, Whelan complained to reporters of alleged abuse in custody.