Man. Well, good morning, folks,
and it is a good morning.
Moments ago, standing together
with her wife Sharelle,
and the Oval Office,
I spoke with Brittany Griner.
She's safe. She's on a plane.
She's on her way home.
After months of being
unjustly detained in Russia,
held under untolerable circumstances,
Brittany will soon be back in the
arms of her loved ones and and she
should have been there all along.
This is a day we've worked
toward for a long time.
We never stopped pushing for her release.
It took painstaking and intense negotiations,
and I want to thank all the hard working
public servants across my administration
who worked tirelessly to secure her release.
I also want to thank the UAE for helping
us facilitate Brittany's return,
because that's where she landed.
These past few months have been
hell for Brittany and for Charlie.
And and her entire family and
all her teammates back home.
People all across the country have
learned about Britney's story,
advocated for her release,
stood with her through throughout
this terrible ordeal,
and I know that support meant
a lot to her family.
I'm glad to be able to say that
Brittany is in good spirits.
She she's relieved to finally
be heading home,
and the fact remains that she's
lost months of her life experience,
the needless trauma,
and she deserves space,
privacy, and time with her.
She wants to recover and heal from
her time being wrongfully detained.
Brittany is is an incomparable athlete,
A2 time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA.
She endured mistreatment and has
showed attitude and a show trial
in Russia with characteristic
grit and incredible dignity.
She represents the best,
America's best about America.
It is across the board,
everything about her,
she wrote to me back in July.
She didn't ask for special treatment,
even though we've been working on a
release from the day one she requested.
Simple quote please don't forget about
me and the other American detainees.
Please do all you can to bring us home.
We never forgot about Brittany.
We've not forgotten about Paul Whelan,
who's been unjustly detained
in Russia for years.
This was not a choice of
which American to bring home.
We brought home Trevor Reed when
we had a chance earlier this year.
Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons,
Russia is treating Paul's case
differently than Brittany's,
and while we have not yet succeeded
in securing polls release,
we are not giving up.
We will never give up,
but remain in close touch with Paul's family,
the will and family, and my thoughts
and prayers are with them today.
They have to have such mixed emotions today.
And we'll keep negotiating in
good faith for Paul's release.
I guarantee that.
I say that to the family.
I guarantee you.
And I urge Russia to do the same to
ensure the police health and youth
and humane treatment and maintained
until we are able to bring them
home. I don't want any American
to sit wrongfully detained.
And and one extra day, if we can bring
that person home by administration,
has now brought home dozens of
Americans who are wrongfully
detained or held hostage abroad.
Many of whom.
Had been held since before I took office.
And today we also remember the
other Americans that are being held
hostage and wrongfully detained in
Russia or anywhere else in the world.
Reuniting this Americans with their
loved ones remains a priority,
a priority for my administration.
Every person in my administration
involved in this.
We're going to continue to work
to bring home every American who
continues to endure such an injustice.
We also want to prevent anymore
American families from suffering
this pain and separation,
and I strongly urge,
I strongly urge all Americans
to take precautions,
including reviewing the State
Department's travel advisories
before they travel overseas,
which now includes warnings about
the risk of being wrongfully
detained by a foreign government.
Make no mistake about it.
This work is not easy.
Negotiations are always difficult.
There are never any guarantees.
But it's my job as president.
Staged to make the hard calls and protect
American citizens everywhere in the world.
Anywhere in the world.
And I'm proud that today we had
made one more family whole again.
So welcome home, Brittany.
And now I'd like to invite Sharelle
to say a few words to all.
Of course,
she's not excited at all about this.
Sharelle.
It's all yours,
kiddo. Congratulations again. Thank you.