Basketball star Brittney Griner awaits fate in Russia drugs trial

KHIMKI, Russia: US basketball star Brittney Griner returns to a Russian court on Thursday (Aug 4) as her drugs trial grinds towards a finale that could end with a 10-year prison sentence and a US-Russia prisoner swap for one of the world's most notorious arms dealers.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Feb 17 with vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage.

Cannabis is illegal in Russia for both medicinal and recreational purposes.

The cartridges threw the 31-year-old Texan athlete into the geopolitical maelstrom triggered when President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb 24.

During the most strained US-Russian relations since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, US President Joe Biden is under pressure to intervene on behalf of detained Americans - including Griner.

The United States has said Griner was wrongfully detained and made what Secretary of State Antony Blinken called a "substantial offer" to Moscow to exchange Russian prisoners for American citizens held in Russia, including Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.

One source familiar with the situation said that Washington was willing to exchange convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, whose life helped inspire the 2005 Hollywood film Lord of War, starring Nicholas Cage.

Russian officials have said a deal has not been reached. They argue that Griner violated the country's laws and should be judged accordingly.

The Kremlin has also repeatedly warned Washington against resorting to megaphone diplomacy, or negotiations conducted through press releases. They say this strategy could derail the swap.

Griner's lawyer said on Tuesday that the trial