Having the support of the State Department and fans around the world gives the Phoenix Mercury confidence that their player will be freed from Russia. There is a time and a place for this.
The case of the American women's basketball player was extended by prosecutors in Russia. The extension is a procedural move that should not affect the negotiations for her release.
The Russian state news agency said that the next hearing will be on July 2, but the U.S. officials said they don't consider the legal proceedings to be more than a negotiation tactic. Russian courts are expected to keep her in jail until a deal is reached for her release, according to US officials and sources close to her.
The report last month that suggested Russia might be interested in trading Griner for Bout, a Russian man serving a 25-year sentence in the United States for selling arms to terrorists, is usually seen by experts as a trial balloon. According to officials speaking on the condition of anonymity, the report is intended to make people think that a deal could be reached quickly.
The line that officials are sure to note is "Russian deputy foreign minister, commenting on reports about the possibility of exchanging Russian businessman Viktor Bout, convicted in the US for the arms trade, for Griner, urged to wait for the completion."
She has been held in Russia for over a month on accusations that she was trying to bring a product into the country. According to the U.S. Department of State, she is being wrongly held.
The State Department met with the Mercury players.
Diana Taurasi said in a statement that there is a lot involved in getting her back home. "We're here to do everything we can to amplify and keep BG at the forefront, which is more important than any basketball game or anything else in our lives."
She's an American and the Mercury want her to come back.
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