![]() A high ranking US official said he is “cautiously optimistic” that WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan could be home by the end of this year. Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson spoke with CNN on Sunday. He said that during his trip to Russia last month he met with “senior Russian officials, individuals close to President (Vladimir) Putin” to secure the release of Griner and Whelan. During the interview, Richardson was asked if he thought Griner and Whelen would be freed by the end of this year. Richardson sounded confident and said, “I do think so. Now, I hate making predictions, but yes.” The White House said last week that it has yet to receive a "serious counter-offer" from Moscow. But Richardson, who has a long history of working to free Americans detained overseas, said in his interview that he sensed from the Russian officials he met that Moscow is "ready to talk,” and he added, “I am cautiously optimistic on the Griner (and) Whelan negotiations.” Comments are closed.
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