United States urges Russia to accept a "serious proposal" Washington made weeks ago for the return of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday.
Griner, who was arrested in Russia in February, was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court on Thursday after she was found guilty of deliberately bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia.
"It's a serious proposal. We urge them to accept it. They should have accepted it weeks ago when we first made it," Kirby said, declining to provide details of the proposal.
(Reporting by Heather Timmons in Washington; Writing by Ismail Shakil; Editing by Daniel Wallis)