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Is spread from a brutal nine year sentence in a russian penal colony. u.s. officials said that the trade for a notorious weapons smuggler viktor bout was finalized in the past 48 hours. criner was moved from her cousin to moscow before being flown to abu dhabi where the exchange took place on the tarmac of a small private airfield. >> i'm glad to be able to say she is an great spirit, she is relieved to finally be home. >> the u.s. wanted to trade boot for both griner at american paul whelan, but russia refused. in an exclusive interview from its penal colony, only told cnn he was surprised he...

-- boarding the plane in the snow. a passport, return griner's miles knowing she is heading home. >> are you ready for the flight? >> yes. >> congratulations. >> back in the u.s., her wife was invited to the white house. >> today i'm standing here, overwhelmed with emotions but the most important that i have right now is just the gratitude, for president, biden and his entire administration. >> the release was the culmination of many months of negotiation with russia. >> this work is not, easy negotiations are always difficult. there are never any guarantees, it is my job as president of the u...

Son in, policy a government was still opposed to that. and now they realize that they've gotten something else, and they traded victor bout for britney, but not for paul. and so they are wanting more. and quite frankly, if the united states government doesn't have some russian spies in their prisons along with the thousands of other foreigners that we arrest around the world, then somebody is not doing their job. there has got to be somebody we can trade, or a group of people we can trade to be bring paul whelan home. the >> administration, i talked to former general john kirby, in the white h...

Russians to him at a higher level than griner. yes been charged with espionage, and sentenced to 16 years. >> this was not a choice of which american to bring home, the choice was one or none. i wholeheartedly wish we could have brought paul home today, on the same plane as britney. >> alex marquardt joins us, now what more do you know about what is going to happen when she lines in san antonio? >> well, anderson, we are still waiting to get word that that plane has touched down in san antonio and that it is back on u.s. soil. it has been about 13 hours since we had heard that exchange had tak...