US discourages Dennis Rodman from going to Russia to help Griner; he clarifies that he's not going

The U.S. government on Monday strongly discouraged former NBA player Dennis Rodman from traveling to Russia to help secure the release of detained WNBA star Brittney Griner -- a trip that Rodman himself separately clarified isn't in the works, reversing an earlier comment.

The back-and-forth stems from Rodman, a five-time NBA champion, initially announcing last weekend that he planned to travel to Russia according to comments he made to NBC News while dining at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.

"I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl," Rodman told NBC News on Saturday. "I'm trying to go this week."

Griner, who has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17, was found guilty on drug charges earlier this month and was sentenced to nine years in prison after vape cartridges containing hashish oil -- an illegal substance in Russia -- were discovered in her luggage at the airport.

A State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, told ABC News during a press briefing on Monday that if Rodman did travel to Russia, "He would not be traveling on behalf of the U.S. government."

"We believe that anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder those release efforts," Price added.

Amid the scrutiny over his comments, Rodman told ABC News on Monday that he doesn’t currently have plans to travel to Russia.

Rodman previously sought to make an impact on U.S. foreign policy as an informal diplomat of sorts amid heated U.S. relations with North Korea.

Rodman traveled to Singapore in June 2018 ahead of then-President Donald Trump's historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who is a big Chicago Bulls fan.

Although Rodman did not meet with the dictator, whom he said he considers a "friend," he was one of a few westerners who had met with him in Pyongyang in the past.

Rodman doesn't need permission from the U.S. to travel to Russia but requires a visa from Moscow to travel to the country.

However, the State Department is strongly discouraging American citizens from traveling to Russia amid the war in Ukraine, issuing a "Level 4-Do Not Travel" advisory that was most recently updated on Aug. 15.

"We've also provided very clear guidance to American citizens -- owing to a number of threats, not the least of which is the threat of wrongful detention -- that Americans should not travel to Russia," Price said on Monday. "That has been our message to private Americans across the board."

Price's warning came after a senior Biden administration official discouraged Rodman from traveling to Russia in a statement provided to ABC News on Sunday, referencing the U.S. travel advisory.

At her trial, which began in July, Griner said she was guilty of drug charges and said that she didn't intend to break Russian law, but that the cartridges were left in her bag by accident.

The U.S. classified Griner's case as "wrongfully detained" in Russia on May and the Biden administration has been working to negotiate the WNBA star's release, as well as the release of U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia since 2019.

On July 29, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that he had a "frank and direct conversation" with ​​Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about a U.S. proposal to exchange convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout in return for Griner and Whelan.

Earlier this month, Russian officials confirmed that those talks have taken place.

Asked about the status of the negotiations, Price said that U.S. interests are "best served if these discussions take place in private," but stressed that this "something we continue to work with the utmost urgency."

"I said last week that we had engaged in discussions with Russian counterparts on this. Those discussions are ongoing," Price added. "We've made very clear, as we have publicly, that we proposed a substantial proposal, we called it, for the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner."

ABC News' Katie Conway and Tanya Stukalova contributed to this report.

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Former U.S. ambassador is 'optimistic' on Griner, Whelan prisoner exchange

The saga of WNBA star Brittney Griner continued Monday after her attorneys filed an appeal over her conviction and nine-year Russian prison sentence for drug possession.

The move comes as U.S. officials continue to seek a prisoner transfer for her and fellow captive American Paul Whelan.

ABC News Live spoke with Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., who has been a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations through the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, about the latest developments.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Let's start with the news of Griner's team filing an appeal. I'm curious, does that have any impact, you think, on diplomatic talks for a prisoner exchange to bring Griner and fellow detained American Paul Whelan home?

RICHARDSON: Well, indirectly, it basically says the legal process is over except for the appeal, and it's reasonable to have this appeal [for a] nine-year sentence in a penal conflict. Now, there can be negotiations between the United States and Russia. Both seem disposed.

There's been a prisoner exchange about two months ago, Trevor Reed, that I was indirectly involved in. I think the legal team of Brittney Griner has been effective [in] showing contrition, acknowledgment of the mistake and now the appeal. And I think…this potential return date from the American side is very important to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. So I think both sides are moving in the right direction and I'm optimistic.

Bill Richardson, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., speaks to ABC News Live about the latest developments in the cases of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, who are detained in Russia.

ABC News

ABC NEWS LIVE: All right. You've just described yourself as a catalyst in these talks that are taking place at a government-to-government level between the U.S. and Russia. We know you traveled to Russia ahead of the release, as you mentioned, of American Trevor Reed earlier this spring. Have you or can you say or will you be traveling to Russia ahead of any release, potential release of Griner and Whelan?

RICHARDSON: Well, no, I can't get into that information. But what I can tell you is that I talked to both sides. I talked to the White House. I talked to the Russians. I have contacts in the Russian government. When I was U.N. ambassador, for instance, the foreign minister [Sergey] Lavrov was my counterpart. I have others that I dealt with as secretary of energy. So I'm not a replacement for the negotiations, [or] some kind of an interlocutor indirectly.

So I don't want to get into too many of these facets, but I've had experience. And I think…both sides are moving in the right direction because they've done it before, despite the fact that the relationship between the United States and Russia is toxic. Totally toxic.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Yeah, we understand that, and of course, appreciate it and would not want to jeopardize any future release. But I am curious about this. Russian officials have criticized the U.S. for openly discussing the offers on the table, but they did confirm this weekend that detained Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is the name at the center of negotiations. You spoke to our George Stephanopoulos about this a little bit -- a week or so ago. [Is there] any concern here that these talks could break down for any reason, including the U.S. being too public with that information? In other words, would you [have] preferred that America didn't throw his name out there?

RICHARDSON: Well, I question that because I think private diplomacy is a lot better, but obviously the negotiations weren't going too well. So what the U.S. did was when things aren't going well, you kind of throw a little bit of a bomb. And so far, I think it's moved in the right direction. Now, eventually, I think it's not going to be a two-for-one deal. I think it's going to be a two-for-two.

The Russians obviously probably will want more, but you never know. Again, humanitarian issues like prisoner exchanges, like this agreement on grain and fertilizer that the U.N. broke…are steps in the right direction on the humanitarian front that eventually might help in a very toxic relationship between us and the Russians.

U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner looks through bars as she listens to the verdict standing in a cage in a courtroom in Khimki, outside Moscow, on Aug. 4, 2022.

Evgenia Novozhenina, Pool via AP

ABC NEWS LIVE: So you just used the word optimistic. I'm going to see if I can push a little bit further. Are you confident that a deal can get done here? And if so, any idea about a timeline without giving anything away? Or are we talking weeks, months, [a] year?

RICHARDSON: Well, you don't want to get into a timeline. I know the families are suffering. I think it was a great effort to combine them. An American Marine, a basketball star. We want both, but I think the Russians will want parity. So I'm optimistic because it was done before.

And I think Brittney Griner's attorneys have handled this well. And lastly, I think both sides want it. Obviously, the president wants to get his prisoners back and Putin wants to get his prisoner back, especially Bout, who was politically very important. So there's [a] political reality here. So I'm optimistic.

ABC NEWS LIVE: You mentioned the families. Let's touch on that a little bit. I think when people talk about situations like this, they want to know what each government is doing. But I think sometimes lost in the translation are the families that have been dealing with this for however long they have been in each individual case. You've written books on it. Obviously, there's an empathy there that you have. How do you tell the families to have patience in any kind of meaningful way during these negotiations?

RICHARDSON: Well, first, Mickey Bergman, who specializes in dealing with the families, handles that for our foundation.

We worked for the families, my foundation. We don't work for the government. We don't take orders from the government, either. The families work closely with us. We help them. We advise them. We don't try to lift their spirits when there's little, but then we move in directly into negotiation.

So that's different from other groups that do very excellent in hostage diplomacy. But we get right in there and try to make things happen. We're not replacing the government. Eventually, the U.S. government has to make the decision. The president, who I think [is] handling this well for a prisoner exchange. And as you know, prisoner exchanges have been criticized in the media and in the public.

In this June 15, 2020, file photo, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained and accused of espionage, holds a sign as he stands inside a defendants' cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow.

Maxim Shemetov/Reuters, FILE

ABC NEWS LIVE: You mentioned this a little earlier on that, of course, this is happening with the backdrop of this Russia-Ukraine war. How does that complicate negotiations? You've done this time and time again, but now there's a war involved in this one, [and] Russia is not happy with America for supplying aid and weapons to Ukraine. So how does that complicate this?

RICHARDSON: Well, it complicates things a lot because the relationship between our leaders or secretary of states or presidents is almost nonexistent. But there are channels like our private channels, like our embassy in Moscow. So there are ways that we talk, but it complicates things. But usually, governments before, they better the relationship.

In this case [it's] a very toxic relationship. Sometimes humanitarian efforts like a prisoner exchange, like the release of human rights prisoners, like the spring deal, the fertilizer deal between Russia [and] Ukraine brokered by the U.N., are steps that might lessen the tension and improve a very bad relationship.

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Brittney Griner is facing a 9-year sentence in a Russian jail following conviction. Here's what could come next for the WNBA star

Now, Griner has returned to the detention center where she was held during her weeks-long trial as her lawyers vow to appeal the sentence and the Biden administration attempts to negotiate for her release.

During the trial, Griner pleaded guilty to carrying less than 1 gram of cannabis oil in her luggage as she traveled through a Moscow airport on February 17. She testified in court that she was aware of Russia's strict drug laws and had no intention of bringing cannabis into the country, saying she was in a rush and "stress packing."

Her lawyers had hoped that Griner's guilty plea and statements of remorse would result in a more lenient sentence. She faced 10 years for the charges and prosecutors requested she be sentenced to 9.5 years in jail. In addition to her nine-year sentence, Griner must pay a fine of 1 million rubles, which is roughly $16,400.

"I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here," Griner said in court prior to the verdict. "I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that that is far from this courtroom."

The US State Department has classified Griner as wrongfully detained. The Biden administration has offered to trade a convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan, CNN has previously reported. Russia's foreign minister reportedly indicated to journalists Friday that Moscow was ready to discuss the topic.

After the verdict, Griner's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, tweeted, "Today's sentencing of Brittney Griner was severe by Russian legal standards and goes to prove what we have known all along, that Brittney is being used as a political pawn."

In a statement, President Joe Biden said the sentence was "unacceptable" and demanded that she be returned to the US to be reunited with her family.

Here's what comes next for Griner as she awaits her lawyers' appeal and the US continues to negotiate for her release.

Lawyers will appeal 'unreasonable' verdict

Griner's legal team will file an appeal to the court's decision, which they must do within 10 days of the verdict, according to her lawyers, Alexander Boykov and Maria Blagovolina, who is a partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners law firm.

"We are very disappointed by the verdict. As legal professionals, we believe that the court should be fair to everyone regardless of nationality. The court completely ignored all the evidence of the defense, and most importantly, the guilty plea," they said in a statement.

They called the verdict "absolutely unreasonable" and insisted in the statement that the decision "contradicts the existing legal practice" in Russia.

Blagovolina told reporters that the average time in jail for this type of crime is five years, adding that almost a third of those convicted get parole.

During the trial, the lawyers argued that Griner's detention was handled improperly. Griner testified that she was made to sign documents that she did not fully understand and was not given adequate translations of the Russian-language paperwork.

A defense expert also testified that the examination of the vape cartridges containing the cannabis oil did not comply with Russian law.

US has proposed prisoner swap for Griner's return

Last week, CNN reported that the Biden administration has proposed a prisoner swap, offering to exchange a convicted Russian arms trafficker for Griner and Whelan. Whelan, a US citizen and former Marine, was handed a 16-year prison sentence in 2018 on espionage charges after a trial the US deemed unfair.

After Griner's sentence, National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said that it was "up to the Russian side" on whether the conviction will open the door for prisoner-swap negotiations.

After the US proposed a prisoner swap, Russia countered by requesting that convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov also be released, multiple sources familiar with the discussions have told CNN. The US has not considered the counter as a legitimate proposal, in part because the request was made through an informal backchannel.

Kirby reiterated Thursday that the US's position remains that it wants Russia to "take the deal on the table because it's a good one, it's a fair one, and it'll help bring Paul (Whelan) and Brittney home."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists at a news conference Friday that officials "are ready to discuss" the prisoners being held by both countries, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

"There is a specified channel that has been agreed upon by the presidents, and no matter what anyone says publicly, this channel will remain in effect," Lavrov said, according to RIA Novosti.

While US officials have long opposed prisoner trades, the successful release of Trevor Reed, an American and former Marine who was imprisoned in Russia, garnered bipartisan praise from lawmakers and was considered a political win for the Biden administration.

Family and supporters continue to fight for her return

The swap proposal follows months of pressure from Griner's family and members of the basketball community.

The star's wife, Cherelle Griner, has been outspoken about her desire for US officials to take more substantial action to bring her wife home. Days after Cherelle Griner expressed frustrations in an interview with CNN, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held a call with her to reassure her they were committed to securing her wife's release, according to a White House call readout.

Griner has also had the steady support of her WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury, as well as other members of the basketball community.

Before the start of a game Thursday night between the Mercury and Connecticut Sun, members of both teams linked arms in the center of the court and held a 42-second moment of silence for Griner, who wears 42 on her jersey. After it ended, people in the crowd started chanting, "Bring her home! Bring her home!"

CNN's Allie Malloy, Chris Liakos, Natasha Bertrand, Frederik Pleitgen, Eric Levenson, Dakin Andone, Travis Caldwell, Jill Martin, Betsy Klein, Kate Sullivan and MJ Lee contributed to this report.

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Brittney Griner trial and Russia-Ukraine news

Brittney Griner leaves the courtroom after the court's verdict on August 4. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)

WNBA star Brittney Griner’s lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, said that Griner’s defense team has 10 days to appeal the court’s decision, which found Griner guilty of drug smuggling and sentenced her to nine years of jail time.

Earlier today in a written statement following the court’s decision, both of Griner’s lawyers, Blagovolina and Alexander Boykov, said they would appeal.

Later, speaking to journalists outside the Khimki court near Moscow region, Boykov said that the average time in jail for this type of crime is five years, adding that almost a third of those convicted get a parole.

Blagovolina, a partner at Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Dyakin and Partners law firm, told journalists that Griner “is not doing fine today.”

Boykov added that the WNBA star passed through her lawyers a message for her family that is not to become public. Griner’s defense team is hopeful that she will be able to talk to her family next week.

Blagovolina added that Griner will return to the detention center she is currently kept at. Both lawyers agreed that Griner has been treated fine so far.

Asked about the prisoner swap offer by the US, Griner’s lawyers said they had no information.

“Unfortunately, we are not involved in the process,” Blagovolina said, responding to a question by CNN outside the court.

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