American basketball star Brittney Griner arrived in the United States on December 9 after being freed from a Russian jail in a high-profile prisoner exchange.
Griner, who was detained 10 months ago at a Moscow airport for possessing a small amount of cannabis oil, landed in Texas, where she was expected to be taken to a military hospital for observation.
The Biden administration's deal with Russia to free Griner, 32 and a star player with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was months in the making.
Griner's arrest and tough sentence came amid tense relations between Russia and the United States over a host of issues, including Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison for possessing less than one gram of cannabis oil, which is illegal in Russia. She said she didn't intend to break Russian law.
The United States accused Russia of using Griner as a pawn and worked to free her, eventually agreeing to swap her for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The 55-year-old Bout arrived back in Russia the same day after 12 years in U.S. custody. Russia had been fighting for years to release Bout.
The swap was the second prisoner exchange between the two countries this year and more could follow.
SEE ALSO: Who Are The Americans Still In Jail In Russia, And Who Could They Be Swapped For?The Biden administration and the Kremlin had been discussing a larger swap of prisoners, including securing the release of former U.S. marine Paul Whelan from a Russian jail, but failed to find a compromise.
Whelan was detained four years ago on charges of espionage that he and the U.S. government say are bogus. The Kremlin reportedly was only willing to swap Griner for Bout, noting that Whelan's charges were more serious.
Nonetheless, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 9 that he was open to further exchanges and the Biden administration reiterated that it is committed to bringing Whelan and others back home.
The United States has arrested dozens of Russian nationals in recent years, many on charges of cybercrimes, including Roman Seleznev, the son of a member of the Russian parliament.
Russia is reportedly keen on freeing Seleznev, local media have reported.