Former Russian ambassador Yuri Ushakov recently said President Biden is pushing for the release of basketball player Brittney Griner in time for a potential mid-term election boost. The claim was made Sunday during an interview aired on state-run Rossiya-1 channel. Ushakov said Grinerâs situation is not a Russian priority,
âIn this tense situation, the way I see it, [Biden] thinks first and foremost about the upcoming midterm elections, which is why he keeps bringing up the need to return the basketball player who was arrested for delivering drugsâŠBut this is not the most important issue that concerns us,â he added.
Ushakov worked as the ambassador to the US from 1998 until 2008. Currently, he advises President Putin on Russian foreign policy issues…