Russia wants to use Brittney Griner as ‘negotiating chip’, says Democrat

A senior Democratic senator has said he believes Russia wants to use the WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been held in Moscow for more than a month on accusations she smuggled drugs into the country, as a “negotiating chip” regarding the war in Ukraine.

“I think there’s no doubt that her detention, and then this continuation of the imprisonment, is all to try to make her a hostage and a part of this chess game,” Tim Kaine, of Virginia, told Full Court Press in an interview scheduled to air in full on Sunday.

“Vladimir Putin and the Russians want to use her as a negotiating chip and what a horrific thing to do to someone,” Kaine said.

Griner, 31, plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA but plays in Russia during the US offseason. She is a two-time Olympic champion.

She was detained at a Moscow airport on 17 February. Russian authorities said a search of Griner’s luggage revealed vape cartridges allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Griner’s legal team has been seeking her release but amid tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine attorneys have declined to speak publicly.

On Friday, a member of a Russian state-backed prison monitoring group claimed Griner was well.

“Her physical condition is fine, she’s holding up fine and I’d even say that she is fairly calm and isn’t anxious,” Ekaterina Kalugina told the Associated Press.

Griner’s lawyers have visited her regularly, bringing care packages including food and personal items, but she has not yet met with a US official, Kalugina said, adding that Griner has made no complaints about her treatment.

Several lawmakers, among them the Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee, have voiced concern that Griner