Biden to meet families of Americans trapped in Russia, Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan

An official says the meetings are meant to “connect with them on a human level as they undergo an ordeal that the Russian government has imposed on them”

Joe Biden is planning to meet the families of two Americans trapped in Russia – WNBA star Brittney Griner and security executive Paul Whelan.

The meetings are set to take place at the White House on Friday, according to the Associated Press.

Mr Whelan has been jailed in Russia since late December 201 while Ms Griner was detained in February of this year.

The meetings, which will be held separately, are the first in-person meetings between President Biden and members of the families. While the attempts to get the Americans out of Russia are ongoing, the efforts have so far proved unsuccessful.

In July, the administration said that it had put forward a “substantial proposal” to get Mr Whelan and Ms Griner back to the US, but there are currently no indications that progress in the negotiations is set to occur in the near future.

Ms Griner has been jailed in Russia following her February arrest at an airport and subsequent conviction on drugs charges. In August, she was sentenced to nine years in prison after entering a guilty plea. She has appealed the sentence.

Mr Whelan is in jail on a 16-year sentence related to spying charges that he and his family say are fabricated.

The US considers both of them as being wrongfully detained, meaning that their cases have been placed with the country’s leading hostage negotiator.

Both of the families have attempted for quite some time to get a meeting with the president.

A US official told the AP that the meetings are meant to show the commitment of the government to bring home Americans trapped abroad and to “connect with them on a human level as they undergo an ordeal that the Russian government has imposed on them”.

Negotiations have been made more difficult by the spiking tensions between the US and Russia prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

An administration official told the AP on Thursday that since the announcement of the proposal two months ago, the government has repeatedly pressed to get serious negotiations to begin.

The Russians have suggested that they’re open to talks but have admonished the Americans to do so behind closed doors instead of in public.

While the government hasn’t detailed its proposal to Russia, it was previously confirmed that they offered to send back Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a prison sentence in the US. Russia may argue that two of its citizens have to be released for two Americans to be sent home.

Mr Biden has previously spoken to Ms Griner’s wife Cherelle Griner and Mr Whelan’s sister Elizabeth Whelan on the phone. On Friday, he’s set to meet with Cherelle Griner and the WNBA player’s agent in one meeting and Ms Whelan in a separate encounter.

The meetings set for Friday had already been scheduled when it was reported that former New Mexico Governor and UN ambassador Bill Richardson had made an unrelated trip to Russia. Mr Richardson has previously worked to get Americans detained abroad back home.

Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said on Wednesday that communications with Russia taking place outside the “established channel” may harm attempts to bring home Mr Whelan and Ms Griner.

In March, before their son’s release, Mr Biden met with the parents of Mr Reed after they stood outside the White House with a large placard calling for their son’s return.