The U.S. has swapped WNBA star Brittney Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to a senior U.S. official.
The basketball star was taken into custody at a Moscow area airport in February in possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 08, 2022, 9:07 AM EST
Biden says Griner will be home within 24 hours
President Joe Biden confirmed that WNBA star Brittney Griner is on her way back to the U.S. and will be back within 24 hours.
The president said she's in "good spirits."
President Joe Biden and Cherelle Griner speak on the phone with basketball player Brittney Griner after her release by Russia as Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken listen in, at the White House, in Washington, Dec. 8, 2022.
The White House
"She's safe. She's on a plane. She's on her way home,” Biden said.
“After months of being unjustly detained in Russia held under intolerable circumstances, Brittany will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones and -- and she should have been there all along," he said.
President Joe Biden speaks to reporters about the release of WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner by Russia as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Vice President Kamala Harris and Cherelle Griner look on in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, Dec. 8, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
A senior U.S. official told ABC News that Biden signed off on the prisoner swap last week.
-ABC News' Justin Fishel and Justin Gomez
Dec 08, 2022, 8:59 AM EST
Whelan family disappointed he wasn't included in swap
The brother of Paul Whelan, an ex-U.S. Marine currently being held in Russian prison, said they were told beforehand he would not be included in the swap and were "able to mentally prepare for what is now a public disappointment for us."
"At some level, our family has steeled ourselves for this likelihood," Whelan's brother, David, wrote in a statement. "And I think, as the use of wrongful detentions and hostage diplomacy continues around the globe, it's clear the US government needs to be more assertive. If bad actors like Russia are going to grab innocent Americans, the US needs a swifter, more direct response, and to be prepared in advance."
"In Russia's case, this may mean taking more law-breaking, Kremlin-connected Russians into custody," he added. "It's not like there aren't plenty around the world."
In this June 15, 2020, file photo, Paul Whelan, a former U.S. marine who was arrested for alleged spying, listens to the verdict in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court in Moscow.
Sofia Sandurskaya/AP, FILE
David Whelan also made sure to note he and his family were happy Griner has been released and said he knew the cases "were not intertwined."
"There is no greater success than for a wrongful detainee to be freed and for them to go home," he wrote. "The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn't going to happen."
The Whelan family issued a similar statement in April when U.S. citizen Trevor Reed was freed from Russia in a prisoner swap. David Whelan alluded to that in his statement Thursday, saying, "The sentiments I shared in April about Trevor are unchanged: this is the event we wish for so much for our own family. She will be reunited with her family. Brittney is free. And Paul is still a hostage."
-ABC News' Cindy Smith
Dec 08, 2022, 8:53 AM EST
Cherelle Griner calls past months 'one of the darkest moments of my life'
Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, called the past months “one of the darkest moments of my life,” but flashed a large smile on her face knowing “BG” will be home soon.
Cherelle Griner talks about the release by Russia of her wife, WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner, as President Joe Biden listens, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, Dec. 8, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
“Today I'm just standing here overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion that I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration," she said as she stood alongside President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
President Joe Biden hugs Cherelle Griner in the Oval Office, after the release of her wife, basketball player Brittney Griner by Russia, in Washington, Dec. 8, 2022.
The White House
"It’s a happy day for me and my family," she said.
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
Dec 08, 2022, 8:45 AM EST
Lavrov confirms swap, Putin pardoned Griner
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Griner was released and the prisoner exchange was carried out at Abu Dhabi Airport.
"For a long time, the Russian Federation has been negotiating with the United States on the release of V.A. Bout," Lavrov said in a statement. "Washington categorically refused to engage in dialogue on the inclusion of the Russian in the exchange scheme. Nevertheless, the Russian Federation continued to actively work to rescue our compatriot."
"As a result of the efforts made, it was possible to agree with the American side on the organization of the exchange of V.A.Bout for B. Griner," he continued.
Viktor Bout, left, a suspected Russian arms dealer at the criminal court in Bangkok, on Aug. 20, 2010 and WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner, right, in a court room prior to a hearing, in Khimki, Russia, on July 27, 2022. Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Dec. 8, 2022 in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange for Viktor Bout.
Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP, FILE
The U.S. has said for months it had offered Bout as part of a prisoner swap for Griner and Russian detained ex-Marine Paul Whelan.
Ombudsman of the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova said Putin pardoned Griner before her release in the swap and she and Bout "should not serve the rest of their sentences in their respective countries."
