- The Biden administration is interested in "government-to-government" contact with Russia over Brittney Griner's release, John Kirby said.
- Kirby and Jake Sullivan have said the administration is working directly with Russia.
- They are also working to release Paul Whelan and other wrongfully detained Americans around the world.
The Biden administration is interested in "government-to-government" contact with Russia's Kremlin to try to secure Brittney Griner's release, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN's Brianna Keilar Tuesday.
"We definitely are interested in government-to-government contact here with Russia to try to secure the release of Brittney Griner," Kirby said.
He added that the administration is also looking into the release of Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage, and "all Americans that are unjustly detained around the world."
—Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) July 12, 2022
His comments echo those of National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who at Monday's White House Press Briefing discussed New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's plans to pay a visit to Griner in Russian captivity.
"President Biden is laser-focused on a government-to-government solution to this issue," Sullivan said Monday.
"As he indicated to Brittney Griner in the letter that he wrote to her, we are working directly with the Russian government, through appropriate channels, to try to bring a speedy resolution not just to her case but to Paul Whelan's case as well," Sullivan told reporters.
"And we will continue to work until those two unjustly detained Americans and all unjustly detained Americans and hostages are home safely," he added.
Griner has been held in a Russian prison since February, when Russian officials accused her of carrying vape cartridges containing hash oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport. She pleaded guilty to the charges last week.