Key Points
- United States President Joe Biden has spoken with the wife of detained WNBA star Brittney Griner.
- Mr Biden's conversation with Cherelle Griner followed a personal appeal to the president.
United States basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to a drugs charge in a Russian court but denied she had intentionally broken the law.
Griner was speaking on Thursday at the second hearing of her trial on the narcotics charge that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, days after she urged US President Joe Biden to secure her release.
"I'd like to plead guilty, your honour. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law," Griner said, speaking quietly in English which was then translated into Russian for the court.
"I'd like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare," she added.
The next court hearing was scheduled for 14 July.
Griner's lawyer Alexander Boykov told reporters they were hoping for the most lenient sentencing possible.
Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to a drugs charge in a Russian court. Source: AAP / Kommersant Photo Agency/Sipa USA
US officials and many athletes have called for the release of Griner, who they say has been wrongfully detained.
The case has also prompted concerns that Moscow could use it as leverage to negotiate the release of a high-profile Russian citizen in US custody.
Russian authorities say there is no basis to consider Griner's detention illegal and that the case against her is not political despite Moscow's fraught relations with the US over the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
Moscow's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday it was difficult to exchange prisoners with the US and suggested Washington stop talking about the fate of Griner.
Biden administration 'pursuing every avenue'
Earlier, United States President Joe Biden spoke with Griner's wife, to reassure her he's working to win the player's freedom as soon as possible.
Mr Biden's conversation with Cherelle Griner followed a personal appeal to the president in a handwritten letter from the basketball player that the White House received on Monday.
In the letter, Griner said she feared she would spend forever in detention in Russia and asked President Biden to not "forget about me and the other American Detainees."
The call was placed as Griner's family has become more aggressive in pressuring the Biden administration by speaking out about her case, including through Brittney Griner's letter to the president.
"The President called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney's release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other US nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world," the White House said.
Brittney Griner (right) and her wife Cherelle Griner after a WNBA game. Source: Getty / Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Mr Biden offered the family his support and committed to making sure they receive "all possible assistance" during the administration's pursuit of Griner's release, the White House said.
Griner, a centre for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association, had played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Women's Basketball Premier League to boost her income during the WNBA off-season, like several other US players.
The Russian foreign ministry has said Griner could appeal her sentence or apply for clemency once a verdict has been delivered.
