A Russian court has sentenced an American professional basketball player to nine years in prison after being charged with possession of drugs illegal in Russia.
The US government is protesting that it is an unfair detention, and there is a possibility that the diplomatic conflict between the US and Russia will deepen further.
Britney Greiner, an American women's professional basketball player, was sentenced to prison.
She was a member of the team that won two consecutive Olympic gold medals.
She was detained in February this year at a baggage check at an airport outside Moscow for possessing drugs illegal in Russia, and she was charged with drug smuggling.
A court in Russia's Moscow region has sentenced Greiner to nine years in prison.
The U.S. government has so far protested that it is ``unfair restraint,'' and has emphasized that President Biden will do his best to release her, such as by delivering a letter to Greiner.
Russia, on the other hand, insisted that the move was legal and not politically motivated.
US Secretary of State Brinken just asked for Greiner's release in a telephone conversation with Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov on the 30th of last month, and there is a possibility that the diplomatic conflict between the US and Russia will deepen further.
President Biden calls for immediate release
U.S. President Biden issued a statement on the 4th, accusing Russia of illegally detaining the players, and said, ``The ruling is unacceptable and we hope that the players will be able to return to their loved ones and teammates. I urge you to release him as soon as possible."
White House Strategic Communications Coordinator Kirby also told MSNBC that Secretary of State Brinken will explore opportunities to discuss the matter with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Cambodia, where the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting is taking place. showed.