President Joe Biden said Wednesday he is determined to bring home detained American basketball star Brittney Griner . He feels hopeful that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to negotiating her release now that the midterm elections have concluded.

Biden shared his optimism at a post-election press conference Wednesday, not long after news broke that Russian authorities had transferred the WNBA Phoenix Mercury center to a penal colony where shell serve her nine-year prison sentence.

My hope is that now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about prisoner exchange, Biden said. That is my intention. My intention is to get her home. And weve had a number of discussions so far. And Im hopeful that now that our election is over, theres a willingness to negotiate more specifically with us.