December 8, 2022 Brittney Griner and Russia-Ukraine news

The family of Paul Whelan, the American wrongful detainee left behind in Russia, expressed happiness at the news that Brittney Griner is on her way home, but said they are “devastated” that he was left behind.

They commended the Biden administration for both making the deal to secure her release, and noted they had been given a heads up about the deal.

“And now what? How do you continue to survive, day after day, when you know that your government has failed twice to free you from a foreign prison? I can't imagine he retains any hope that a government will negotiate his freedom at this point. It's clear that the US government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul Whelan. And so Paul will remain a prisoner until that changes,” Whelan said.

“Increasingly, I worry that Paul himself won't survive 12 more years in a Russian labor colony. He has tried to stay healthy but one wonders how long that determination to keep going can endure,” he said, noting that “the likelihood that our parents will see their son again diminishes each day his wrongful detention continues.” 

David Whelan said he did not know if his brother was aware of Griner’s release yet, “although he will surely learn from Russian media.” 

Whelan commended the Biden administration for making the deal to free Griner, however, and acknowledged that the family had been given a heads up. 

“I am so glad that Brittney Griner is on her way home. As the family member of a Russian hostage, I can literally only imagine the joy she will have, being reunited with her loved ones, and in time for the holidays,” 

“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,” he said. 

President Joe Biden addressed the fact that the swap did not include another American who the State Department has declared wrongfully detained: Paul Whelan.

"While we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul's release, we are not giving up. We will never give up. We remain in close touch with Paul's family, the Whelan family. My thoughts and prayers are with them today. They have to have such mixed emotions today," Biden added.

"I guarantee," Biden said, that the US will keep working on Whelan's release.

Some background: Whelan, a US, Irish, British and Canadian citizen, was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 by Russian authorities who alleged he was involved in an intelligence operation. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges he has vehemently denied.

Whelan had been carrying out his sentence at a labor camp in Mordovia, an eight-hour drive from Moscow, where he told CNN in June 2021 he spent his days working in a clothing factory that he called a “sweatshop.”

WNBA star Brittney Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, thanked US President Joe Biden for his administration's efforts in releasing Griner from Russian detention.

"Today my family is whole, but as you are all aware, there are so many other families that are not whole," she added later on in her remarks, referencing other Americans that remain in Russian detention including Paul Whelan.

"I will say that B.G. (Brittney Griner) and I will remain committed to the work of getting every American home, including Paul, whose family is in our hearts today as we celebrate B.G. being home," she said.

President Joe Biden said WNBA star Brittney Griner "is in good spirits" as she is on a plane back to the US.

Biden said Griner's went through her trial in Russia and her time in detention with "grit and incredible integrity."

"She wrote to me back in July. She didn't ask for special treatment, even though we'd been working on her release from day one. She requested a simple, quote, "please don't forget about me and the other American detainees," he added.

President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the White House on Thursday morning on Brittney Griner's release.

"After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held in intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones and she should have been there all along," he said.

"This is a day we worked toward for a long time. We never stopped pushing for her release. It took painstaking and intense negotiations," he added, thanking all those who involved in her release as well as the UAE, where the swap took place.

US President Joe Biden was “personally involved and in constant touch” with his team as this deal came together in the final days and after he gave his personal green light to execute the trade. The briefings – and questions Biden asked his team – were constant, a senior administration official says.

Senior administration official adds that this was the right deal to make – and notably, “the only deal we could make right now.”

Biden "will speak to the importance of Brittney being brought home safely" in his remarks on Thursday morning, a White House official tells CNN,

He is also expected to address Paul Whelan, who remains imprisoned in Russia, and will reiterate the US "commitment to ensuring Paul Whelan comes home as well."

Contribution Betsy Klein

US President Joe Biden is speaking now on the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner’s release from Russian detention.

Griner was released from Russian detention in a prisoner swap for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to a source familiar

Griner is now in the custody of US officials. Biden gave final approval for the prisoner swap in the past week, an official familiar with the matter said, and the president was updated on the swap as it was taking place this morning.

Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, is with the president at the White House, according to a source familiar.

Russia said on Thursday that Viktor Bout has returned home to Russia, according to state media RIA Novosti, citing the foreign ministry. 

The prisoner exchange with WNBA star Brittney Griner was "completed successfully at Abu Dhabi Airport" on Thursday, state media added. 

President Joe Biden is with Brittney Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, at the White House. He tweeted two pictures along with Griner's news, saying the WNBS star is "safe" and "on her way home."

Biden was briefed throughout the morning as he waited for confirmation that Griner was back in US hands, a US official says.

Once that happened, Biden spoke with Griner from the Oval Office, with Griner’s wife, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken also on the call, per a second official.