WNBA star Brittany Griner met with the officials of the American Embassy in Russia
Griner was sentenced to 9½ years in prison for bringing less than a gram of cannabis oil into the country.
Last week, a Russian court rejected an appeal against Greiner’s prison sentence.
Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Russia continues to reject a “significant offer” from the United States to release Griner and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine also imprisoned in Russia.
“Despite the lack of good-faith negotiations by the Russians, the US government continues to pursue that offer and pursue alternative avenues through all channels with the Russians,” Jean-Pierre said. “This remains a priority.”
The United States government has long described Greener’s arrest as a “wrongful arrest.”
Last week, after the Russian court rejected her appeal, Greener’s lawyers They said they would talk to their clients about the possibility of further appeals and plan to use “all available legal tools”. She is set to be transferred to a penal colony after the appeal process is over.
This is a developing story and will evolve.
Maite Fernandez Simon and Mary Ilyushina contributed to this report.