Brittney Griner back in Russian court for cannabis possession amid U.S. release efforts

KHIMKI, Russia — American basketball star Brittney Griner was back in court on Tuesday for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release.

During the hearing, prosecutors called a state narcotics expert who analyzed cannabis found in Griner's luggage. Her defense fielded a specialist who challenged the analysis, charging that it was flawed and didn't conform to official rules.

If convicted, the WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist could face 10 years in prison. As her trial has progressed, the Biden administration has faced growing public pressure to get her released.

Sources have told ESPN's T.J. Quinn that a verdict and sentence are expected Aug. 5.

In an extraordinary move, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal under which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction, would go free.

The Lavrov-Blinken call marked the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow since Russia sent troops into Ukraine more than five months ago, the direct outreach at odds with U.S. efforts to isolate the Kremlin.

People familiar with the proposal say it envisions trading Griner and Whelan for the notorious arms trader Viktor Bout. It underlines the public pressure that the White House has faced to get Griner released.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday that Russia has made a «bad faith» response to the U.S. government's offer, a counteroffer that American officials don't regard as serious. She declined to elaborate.

Griner has acknowledged there were vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she was