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Posted: 2022-06-15T21:23:35Z | Updated: 2022-06-15T21:23:35Z

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that its a personal priority for him to bring home WNBA star Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for months.

Its something that Im personally focused on, Blinken told a group of LGBTQ reporters at a Wednesday roundtable at the State Department, in a show of the departments support for Pride Month. Theres a limit to what I can say publicly. But we are very focused on this. We are determined to bring her home.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who is lesbian and plays basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason, was detained at a Moscow airport in February after local authorities claimed she was carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil. They accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable in Russia by up to 10 years in prison.

Last month, the State Department reclassified Griners status as wrongfully detained, meaning the United States will work more aggressively to secure her release.

Russian officials on Tuesday extended Griners detention for the third time. That means she will remain in Russian custody through at least July 2.