Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top spokesman recently claimed that WNBA star Brittney Griner isn’t a hostage, but gave no indication that she would be released anytime soon after Russian officials allegedly found hashish oil in her luggage more than four months ago.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News’ Keir Simmons, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov disputed the U.S. State Department’s assertion that Griner is “wrongfully detained” in Russia. He said that the 31-year-old WNBA player is no different from “hundreds and hundreds of Russian citizens that were sentenced for carrying hashish.”
“Why should we make an exemption for a foreign citizen?” he added.
