Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan


President Joe Biden is meeting with the families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, according to the White House.In separate meetings,

Biden will sit with Elizabeth Whelan, Paul's sister, and with Griner's wife Cherelle and agent Lindsay Colas, the administration said.

The first of the meetings in the Oval Office began today at 4:51 p.m. ET. Jake Sullivan, the assistant to the president for national security affairs, is accompanying the president.

Some background: The families of Whelan, who has been held by Russia for alleged espionage since 2018, and WNBA star Griner, jailed in Moscow for drug possession since February, have urged the White House to secure their release, including via a prisoner exchange if necessary.

The administration said this week that Biden is "not going to let up" on getting Griner and Whelan back to the US. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the matter is “at the very top of my priority list.”