Former basketball star Dennis Rodman wants to travel to Russia and lobby Russian President Vladimir Putin for the release of convicted basketball player Brittney Griner.
“I got permission to travel to Russia to help the girl,” the 61-year-old was quoted as saying by the US broadcaster NBC News, who reportedly interviewed the athlete at a restaurant in Washington over the weekend. He did not say who should have given him this permission. He wants to leave this week. “I know Putin too well,” Rodman was further quoted as saying.
The US State Department reacted tight-lipped to the report. State Department spokesman Ned Price said when asked in Washington that the ministry had only heard of Rodman’s statements from the media. “He would not be traveling on behalf of the US government,” Price said. The US government made a proposal to Moscow to obtain the release of Griner and the American Paul Whelan, who was also imprisoned in Russia.
Washington advises US citizens not to travel to Russia
“We believe that anything beyond the established negotiation path could complicate and hamper these release efforts,” he warned. In addition, the US government advises all Americans against traveling to Russia – not least because of the risk of unlawful imprisonment.
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possession of so-called vape cartridges and hashish oil and was sentenced to nine years in prison by a court in the Russian capital in early August. Internationally, the verdict triggered a wave of solidarity with the 31-year-old athlete. The basketball player reportedly appealed. The US sharply criticizes the decision of the Russian judiciary and demands their release.
Rodman has a history of politically difficult trips: he once described North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-Un as a “friend for life”. He visited the isolated country several times. Rodman emphasized at the time that he wanted to bring the United States and North Korea together. It was never entirely clear whether Rodman’s visits and pleas really helped bring captive Americans back to freedom.