The White House Said That The Pebasket Britney Griner's Liberation Negotiations Were Only Between The US And Russia, There Was No Mediation

White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - The release of basketball star Britney Griner was only negotiated between the United States and Russia, the White House said on Thursday it denied Saudi Arabia's statement it was involved.

"The only countries negotiating this deal are the United States and Russia," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about Saudi Arabia's role.

"No mediation was involved," he continued.

Earlier, the President of the United Arab Emirates (Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan) and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud) said in a joint statement between the two countries they were leading mediation efforts that secured Griner's release from Russian penal colonies.

Griner was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trader who was convicted in the United States and jailed for 10 years. The exchange took place at Abu Dhabi airport, United Arab Emirates, a US official said.

"We thank the UAE for facilitating the use of their territory for the exchange," Jean-Pierre said.

"We also thank other countries including Saudi Arabia" which raises the issue of the detention of Americans with the Russian government, he continued.

Separately, Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), praised Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's efforts, which resulted in the release and exchange of two detainees between the United States and the Russian Federation, citing the SPA.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury star from the Women's National Basketball Association, was arrested on February 17 at Moscow airport in February when a vape casing containing marijuana oil, banned in Russia, was found in its suitcase. He was sentenced on August 4 to nine years in the colony to sentence on charges of possessing and smuggling drugs.