Joe Biden calls it "unacceptable" that a Russian court jailed a US basketball player for nine years for drug smuggling.

US President Joe Biden criticised the decision, which a Russian court on Thursday condemned Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for narcotics smuggling. Judge Anna Sotnikova informed the court in the town of Khimki, which is located west of Moscow, that the court "found the defendant guilty" of smuggling and carrying "a substantial amount of narcotics." Griner, 31, was given a nine-year prison term by Sotnikova, along with an additional $16,590 ($1,000,000) punishment. In an instant response, US President Joe Biden described Griner's sentence from the Russian court as "terrible." Brittney is unjustly being held by Russia. It's outrageous, and I demand that Russia free her right away so she can be with her wife and other family members, friends, and teammates.