Biden hopes Putin will be more open to negotiating Brittney Griner's release now midterms are over

• Biden said he hopes Putin will be willing to talk about freeing Brittney Griner with midterms over.
• He said he hopes Putin will "be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange."
• Griner's appeal to her nine-year sentence was rejected, and she has been sent to a penal colony.

President Joe Biden said that he hoped the US midterm elections being over would make Russian President Vladimir Putin more likely to negotiate the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner.

Biden said on Wednesday that he was in regular contact with Griner's wife and that "my guess is — my hope is that now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange."

Griner, a Phoenix Mercury player who also played for a Russian team during the off-season, was arrested in February when Russian airport officials found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage.

She was charged with drug smuggling and given a nine-year sentence, in what is widely regarded as a political statement over US support for Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

Griner lost her appeal for a reduced sentence late last month. Her legal team said she was transferred to a Russian penal colony on Wednesday, places that are notorious for their poor conditions and how they treat inmates.

Biden said on Wednesday that: "My intention is to get her home. And we've had a number of discussions so far. And I'm hopeful that, now that our election is over, there is a willingness to — to negotiate more specifically with us."

Biden's Democrats lost Congressional seats in this week's midterm elections but with most races called as of Wednesday morning, the party appeared to have avoided a predicted Republican "red-wave," giving him a boost.

A Putin aide said last month that freeing Griner was not a "main issue" for the US, and that Biden was only mentioning her in public as part of his midterm campaigning.

Biden has publicly spoken about trying to release Griner multiple times. He met with her family in September and wrote her a letter in July. US officials have also met with Griner in Russia.

The US has previously offered to swap Griner for Russian prisoners.

But American officials said that Russia has not yet given the US any serious counter-proposals as to how Griner could be freed.

Experts noted to Insider's Meredith Cash last month that the US has often stalled when Russia has tried to negotiate the release of its prisoners in the past, giving Russia the incentive to stall now.

Biden said on Wednesday that he did not want to publicly elaborate on his plans to free Griner, but that he hoped to get other prisoners freed as well.

"I am determined to get her home and get her home safely — along with others, I might add," he said.

Earlier this week Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, said she was worried about the basketball star's mental health.

Griner's legal team said she had been prescribed cannabis for pain, and she had no criminal intent.