(FiveNation.com)- Dennis Rodman, a former player in the National Basketball Association, has changed his mind and stated that he does not intend to travel to Russia any longer.
A reporter had asked Rodman earlier in the week whether he planned to travel to Russia to assist in securing the release of Women’s National Basketball Association player Brittney Griner. Rodman had previously stated that he intended to do so.
Rodman stated on Saturday to NBC News that he had been granted permission to travel to Russia to assist the girl.
He said, “I’ll do my best to get there this week.” “I know Putin far too well.”
Griner was apprehended in Russia for bringing marijuana into the nation, and she has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
On Monday, the government of the United States gave Rodman a stern warning to stay away. Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, stated on ABC News that even if Rodman traveled to Russia, “he would not be traveling on behalf of the United States government.”
According to Price’s statement, the State Department feels that anything other than negotiating further through the current mechanism is likely to complicate and impede such release efforts. Price issued a warning that any American citizen, not only Rodman, who travels to Russia runs the possibility of being detained without due process.
Now, Rodman has stated that he will not be going.
Since he retired from professional athletics, Rodman has become well-known for his unofficial diplomacy with several nations worldwide.
In the past, Rodman has referred to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, as “cool,” and he traveled to Moscow in 2014.
The celebrity enjoys a close relationship with the reclusive nation’s ruler, Kim Jong Un, and has traveled there on many occasions.
At the beginning of this month, Joe Biden stated that the United States is actively working to secure the release of Griner and another American citizen who is now detained in Russia.
According to Biden, his administration will continue to work relentlessly and seek every possible route in the hopes of bringing Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely.
Biden has not provided any further details on what exactly they are doing.
