President Joe Biden heaped praise on Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob during an Oval Office meeting for his key role in a recent seven-nation prisoner swap.

The 24-person blockbuster prison swap carried out this week required the U.S. to regroup after the unexpected death in February of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who’d been seen as a key cog in a potential exchange.

The U.S. and Russia completed on Thursday their largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history, a deal involving 24 people, many months of negotiations and concessions from other European countries who released individuals in their custody as part of the exchange.

The United States and Russia have made their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history.

The United States and Russia have completed a 24-person prisoner swap, the largest in post-Soviet history, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free.

One prisoner has spent over 5½ years behind bars in Russia while other, higher-profile detainees were released ahead of him.

Three newly freed Americans are back on U.S. soil after a landmark prisoner exchange with Russia.

Russia’s foreign minister blamed “the Americans” for publicly bringing up a possible prisoner exchange involving imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, which he said “isn’t helping.”.

The U.S. Ambassador told Russia’s foreign minister that President Vladimir Putin should release detained Americans, singling out journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has gone on trial in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny.

Arrests of Americans in Russia have become increasingly common with relations sinking to Cold War lows.

A court in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok has convicted a visiting American soldier of stealing and making threats of murder, and it sentenced him to three years and nine months in prison.

A court in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok has begun the trial of an American soldier arrested earlier this year on charges of stealing.

President Joe Biden says the U.S. is working every day to secure the release of a Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia.

U.S. citizens jailed in Russia include a Wall Street Journal reporter, a vacationing corporate security executive and a dual national visiting her family in Tatarstan.

A lawyer for The Wall Street Journal says Russia must face consequences for its detention of Evan Gershkovich, one of the newspaper's reporters.

Associates of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny say talks had been underway to exchange him for a Russian imprisoned in Germany.

A U.S. citizen has been arrested on drug charges in Russia, a move that comes amid soaring Russia-U.S. tensions over Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is in dialogue with the United States on the issue of bringing home jailed Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich.

The Biden administration says it's made a new and significant offer aimed at securing the release of American detainees Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, but Russia has rejected the offer.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy has made her third visit to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been behind bars in Russia since March on charges of espionage.

A Russian court has extended the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich by three months.

The U.S. ambassador to Russia has visited Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan in a remote Russian prison.

The U_S_ has brought the sister of an American imprisoned in Russia to the U_N_ Security Council for a session being chaired by the Russian foreign minister, urging him to “look into her eyes and see her suffering.”.

A top Russian diplomat says Moscow might be willing to discuss a potential prisoner swap involving jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich after his trial on espionage charges.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has “no doubt” that Russia has wrongfully detained an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal who was arrested last week on spying allegations.

The State Department says Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart, in a rare phone call between the diplomats since the Ukraine war, to immediately release a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained last week as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.

Lefortovo prison, where American journalist Evan Gershkovich has been jailed on espionage charges, has been a terrifying symbol of repression since Soviet times.

The Biden administration is marking the four-year anniversary of the detention in Russia of American businessman Paul Whelan.

WNBA star Brittney Griner didn’t want quiet time as soon as she boarded a U.S. government plane that would bring her home.

Brittney Griner is back on U.S. soil, but many are asking “What about Whelan?”

Russian President Vladimir Putin says more U.S.-Russian prisoner exchanges are possible.

The one-for-one swap involving Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout was not the one that U.S. officials had hoped to negotiate or were initially willing to accept.

Brittney Griner’s loved ones and extended basketball family were ecstatic when news broke about her release from a Russian prison and that she was on her way back to the United States.

The brother of an American detained in Russia since 2018 says that his family fears he will not be released for years.

American basketball star Brittney Griner is heading home, freed from Russian prison in exchange for the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The family of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia for espionage, says that he has resumed contact after unexpectedly becoming unreachable in November.

Russia’s foreign minister has accused the West of becoming directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine by supplying it with weapons and training its soldiers.

A senior Russian diplomat says Russia and the United States repeatedly came close to reaching agreement on a prisoner exchange and a deal remains possible before the year’s end.

WNBA star Brittney Griner this week began serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.

A show of prison artwork by a Russian arms trader serving 25 years in the United States and the focus of speculation about a prisoner swap that could free WBNA star Brittney Griner has opened at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament.

CIA Director Bill Burns has met with his Russian intelligence counterpart to warn of consequences if Russia were to deploy a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

President Joe Biden says he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more willing to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner now that the U.S. midterm elections are over.

The Kremlin has reiterated that any discussions about a possible swap involving U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner who is serving a nine-year prison sentence in Russia for drug possession must be strictly confidential.

Brittney Griner spent her 32nd birthday in a Russian prison, awaiting an appeal to her nine-year sentence for drug possession that’s set for next week.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is at her “absolute weakest moment in life right now” as she faces a hearing in Russia later this month for her appeal of a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.

Venezuela’s government has freed seven Americans imprisoned in the South American country in exchange for the release of two nephews of President Nicolás Maduro’s wife who had been jailed for years by the United States on drug smuggling convictions.

The Biden administration should create an additional senior-level position at the White House National Security Council to focus on cases of Americans wrongfully detained in foreign countries.

Top WNBA players are finding other places to compete this winter, not wanting to go back to Russia after the arrest and conviction of Brittney Griner on drug possession charges and the country's invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden met with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan.

President Joe Biden plans to meet at the White House on Friday with the families of WNBA star Brittney Griner and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, both of whom remain jailed in Russia.

The Biden administration has selected a veteran foreign service officer with years of experience in Russian affairs to be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia.

Bill Richardson, who has worked to secure the releases of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, visited Moscow this week and held meetings with Russian leaders.

Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations, says he's hopeful about the chances of a two-for-two prisoner swap that could result in the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.

The Kremlin says it’s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue.

Now that WNBA star Brittney Griner has been convicted of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison, attention turns to the prospect of a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia that could get her home.

A judge in Russia convicted American basketball star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling.

American basketball star Brittney Griner is back in court for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release.

Since Brittney Griner last appeared in her trial for cannabis possession, the question of her fate has expanded from a cramped courtroom on Moscow’s outskirts to the highest level of Russia-U.S. diplomacy.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has spoken to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and urged Moscow to accept a U.S. proposal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan.

Russia's top diplomat says he’s open to a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss a possible prisoner swap involving American basketball star Brittney Griner.

The Biden administration likes to say Russia is isolated internationally because of its invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin has warned that a possible prisoner swap with the United States involving American basketball star Brittney Griner needs to be negotiated quietly without fanfare.

The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.

WNBA star Brittney Griner testified at her drug possession trial in Russia that an interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during questioning when she was detained at Moscow’s airport in February and officials told her to sign documents without giving an explanation.

The drug trial of American basketball star Brittney Griner in a Russian court focused Tuesday on testimony that cannabis, while illegal in Russia, is regarded in other countries as having legitimate medicinal use.

The spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry says the United States has shown disrespect for Russian law by characterizing basketball star Brittney Griner’s jailing on drug charges as “wrongful detention.”.

A lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner at her drug possession trial has given a Russian court a letter from a U.S. doctor recommending she use cannabis to treat pain.

The drug possession trial of WNBA star Brittney Griner has resumed, with the head of the Russian club she plays for in the offseason and a teammate from that squad testifying in support of her character and what she has meant for women’s basketball in the country.

A Russian arms dealer labeled the “Merchant of Death” and who once inspired a Hollywood movie is back in the headlines again.

LeBron James is publicly criticizing the United States’ handling of WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner’s case in a trailer for an upcoming episode of his television show: “The Shop: Uninterrupted.”.

President Joe Biden has spoken by phone with the sister of Paul Whelan, an American who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than three years.

When Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession in a Russian court, hopes rose that her months of detention may soon be over, either through a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap or a pardon from President Vladimir Putin.

WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on the second day of her trial in a Russian court in a case that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

Brittney Griner’s appeal to President Joe Biden in a handwritten letter continued to garner reaction Tuesday after the WNBA All-Star acknowledged she feared never returning home and asked Biden not “forget about me and the other American Detainees.”.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has gone on trial in a Russian court on charges of possessing cannabis oil.

WNBA star Brittney Griner appeared in a court near Moscow that ordered her trial on cannabis possession charges to begin Friday, about 4 1/2 months after she was arrested at an airport while returning to play for a Russian team.

Brittney Griner will have a place at the WNBA All-Star Game.

State Department officials have met with representatives of Brittney Griner’s WNBA team about the Phoenix Mercury star’s monthslong detention in Russia and the Biden administration’s efforts to secure her release.

Penny Taylor used her induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame to call for the release of her former WNBA Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner, noting it’s been 114 days since the seven-time WNBA All-Star was detained.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is easily the most prominent American locked up by a foreign country.

Brittney Griner has been able to receive emails and letters from WNBA players to an account Griner’s agent set up to allow them to communicate with her.

The State Department said Tuesday that it still pushing to have regular contact with WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for nearly three months.

Relatives of American hostages and wrongful detainees are trying to get the Biden administration's attention in hopes of getting their loved ones home.

A series of factors helped pave the way for Trevor Reed's release from a Russian prison this week as part of a prisoner exchange.

Brittney Griner remains detained in Russia and it’s unclear how an unexpected prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia that freed marine veteran Trevor Reed will affect the status of the WNBA star.

Russia and the United States have exchanged prisoners.

WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is easily the most prominent American citizen known to be jailed by a foreign government.

The Phoenix Mercury are preparing for their WNBA season without teammate Brittney Griner.

A’ja Wilson wishes that she and her USA Basketball teammates could do more to help Brittney Griner right now.

Two of Brittney Griner’s USA Basketball teammates have broken their silence on the star player’s imprisonment in Russia.

The U.S. State Department says a U.S. Embassy official has visited with WNBA star Brittney Griner, who remains detained near Moscow, to check on her condition.

The United States has demanded consular access to WNBA star Brittney Griner, who is faring well behind bars in Russia, according to a member of a Russian state-backed prison monitoring group.

The already challenging path to bringing home Americans jailed in Russia and Ukraine is even more complicated now with a war overwhelming the region and increasingly hostile relations between the United States and the Kremlin.

Families of American hostages and detainees say they're frustrated with the Justice Department over what they see as the agency's refusal to consider prisoner exchanges that could get their loved ones home.

A Moscow court has rejected an imprisoned American’s appeal against his nine-year sentence for assaulting police officers.

Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin of Russia spent more than three hours discussing issues Wednesday at their summit in Geneva.

There are growing concerns about one American who risks being left behind as the U.S. moves to withdraw its military from Afghanistan.

The Biden administration must determine how to handle that commitment. Frerichs' supporters are concerned that a drawdown of military personnel from Afghanistan leaves the U.S. without the leverage it needs to demand his release. AdThe State Department is offering $5 million for information leading to Frerichs' return. We will not stop working until we secure his safe return home,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. “You don’t leave Americans behind, and I just really want to make sure that he’s home safe.”AdBlinken told reporters Wednesday that the Biden administration wanted to take a detailed look at that deal, saying.

This image provided by Joey Reed, shows Trevor Reed and his mom Paula Reed in 2014 in Arlington, Texas. The parents of Trevor Reed spoke Monday to The Associated Press as a Russian court sentenced another American man to more than a decade in prison in an unrelated espionage case. They spoke out as a Russian court sentenced another American to more than a decade in prison in an unrelated espionage case. But instead of taking him for medical care, as the family says is standard protocol in Moscow, officers drove him to the police station. We would hope that Russian law is followed and due process is used in my sons case, Joey Reed said.