With the decision on Tuesday by a Russian appeals court to uphold Brittney Griner’s sentence on drug smuggling charges, the American basketball star’s best hope for freedom now likely depends on the outcome of delicate talks between the United States and Russia, two governments whose relations are at their lowest point in decades.
The Biden administration and President Vladimir V. Putin’s government have engaged in secretive negotiations about a possible exchange of prisoners, and back in June the Biden administration offered a swap involving Ms. Griner. But Kremlin officials have said repeatedly that it was premature to discuss a deal until the judicial process has run its course.