Blinken says U.S. made Russia a 'substantial proposal' for release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan

. The U.S. freed Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was serving a 20-year prison sentence for drug smuggling. to drug possession and smuggling charges on July 7, telling a Moscow court that she brought the substance into the country accidentally. on Wednesday, saying that the vape cartridges"ended up in my bags by accident ... and I take responsibility but I did not intend to smuggle or planned to smuggle [banned substances] to Russia." Griner faces up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.

In the weeks following her arrest, Griner's allies remained mostly quiet about her case, believing that Russian President Vladimir Putin would seek to leverage her celebrity as he waged war in Ukraine. Griner was detained less than a week before Russia invaded, pushing U.S.-Russia relations to a low point.. Under a 2020 law, the classification shifted the handling of her case to the State Department's special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. " and urging Mr.

"Initially I was told ... 'We're going to try to handle this behind the scenes and let's not raise her value and, you know, stay quiet,'" Cherelle Griner In , Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris reassured her that the administration was working to secure Griner's release"as soon as possible," according to a White House readout of the conversation. Mr.

"President Biden assured me that the U.S. government was doing all it could to bring Paul's safe return from his wrongful detention in Russia," the family said in a July 9 email."We spoke for several minutes and I was touched by the president's obvious concern and empathy for Paul's plight and the Whelan family's distress."

On Wednesday, the family said they"appreciate[d] the Biden Administration seeking Paul's release using the resources it has available."

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