Brittney Griner - live: WNBA star freed by Russia in prisoner swap for arms dealer

WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained for months in Russia over drug charges, was reportedly released Thursday in a prisoner swap for a notorious international arms dealer, according to a US official, CBS News reported.

In the one-for-one swap, the US had reportedly been negotiating with Moscow for weeks to send arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for the 32-year-old American basketball player.

US President Joe Biden reportedly gave his final approval in the deal within the past week, CBS first reported, and took place on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates.

Five former US officials confirmed to the news outlet that the dealhad been reached as oflast Thursday.

Ms Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in July before being sentenced to nine years behind bars the following month.

Her family and friends have been advocating for months for her release, with those hopes seeming dashed last month when an appeal in her sentence was denied by a Russian court.

President Joe Biden has spoken with WNBA star, wife

13:26 , Johanna Chisholm

CBS News reported that Brittney Griner and her wife, Cherelle Griner, had spoken with the pair on Thursday morning inside the Oval Office.

Vice President Kamala Harris was also reportedly in the room at the time of the phone call.

Brittney Griner swapped in one-for-one prisoner exchange

13:24 , Johanna Chisholm

Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who the US government says has been “wrongfully detained” since her 17 February arrest at a Moscow airport, is on her way home after American officials engineered her release in a prisoner swap.

US officials have said Ms Griner was freed in exchange for the US releasing Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout following months of talks between Washington and Moscow over the basketball star’s fate.

Andrew Feinberg has more here in this breaking news report.