Karine Jean-Pierre: U.S. Officials Met With Brittney Griner in Russia

U.S. diplomats have met Thursday with WNBA star Brittney Griner, who's imprisoned in Russia, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

"We are told she's doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances," Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One, CNN reports. The State Department also confirmed that officials from the U.S. Embassy in Russia had a meeting with Griner. They had spoken with her October 16 but hadn't seen her in person since August.

State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted that in the Thursday visit, diplomats "saw firsthand her tenacity and perseverance despite her present circumstances."

Griner, a lesbian who is center for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested at an airport near Moscow in February as she arrived to play for a Russian team during the WNBA off-season. Many athletes in the league join overseas teams when the WNBA isn't playing. Russian officials found that she had vape cartridges containing a small amount of cannabis oil, which is an illegal substance in the nation.

This summer, Griner was convicted on drug charges and sentenced to nine years in prison. She has said she brought the substance, which she uses for relief for chronic pain, into Russia by accident and didn't intend to break the law. She has appealed her conviction, but last week a Russian court upheld it.

The U.S. government has classified her as "wrongfully detained," and officials have been in touch with her and her loved ones, including her wife, Cherelle Griner. The Biden administration has raised the possibility of a prisoner swap to free her and another American imprisoned in Russia, Paul Whelan, who's accused of espionage and maintains his innocence. Price's tweet noted, "We continue to press for the immediate release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan and fair treatment for every detained American."

"I can also tell you that in the subsequent weeks despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with Russians through all available channels," Jean-Pierre said on Air Force One. "This continues to be a top priority."

Bill Richardson, a former governor, congressman, cabinet member, and United Nations ambassador, has been independently negotiating for Griner and Whelan's release, although the Biden administration has been wary of efforts by him or any outsider, The New York Times reports.