The White House says President Biden and Vice President Harris have both spoken to the wife of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who faces up to 10 years in a Russian prison after she was arrested in Moscow’s airport last February for possession of cannabis oil. Biden and Harris’s phone call to Cherelle Griner on Wednesday came more than two weeks after the State Department botched a plan to have the couple speak by phone on their fourth wedding anniversary. It also came after Brittney Griner appealed directly to Biden for help in a handwritten letter. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said securing Griner’s release would be a top priority of the president.

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: “I can say that the president did read the letter. I was there when he read the letter. This is something, Brittney Griner being held in Moscow, we believe the federation is wrongfully — she’s being wrongfully detained in Moscow at this time. This is an issue that is a priority for this president.”