US citizen Paul Whelan, who was detained in Russia on Thursday, expressed his disappointment at further efforts to free him and urged US President Joe Biden to act quickly after the announcement of the prisoner exchange that freed American basketball star Brittney Griner.
Griner is released in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, in a deal that could leave little leverage to negotiate for Whelan, a former U.S. Marine sentenced to 16 years in prison on charges of espionage, but he refuses to do so.
Biden said the United States would never stop seeking Whelan’s freedom, but the prisoner swap involving Griner left little choice.
“Unfortunately, and for completely illegitimate reasons, Russia treats Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s. And although we still can’t get Paul released, we will not give up. We will never give up,” Biden said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference: “This was not a choice about which American to take home. It was one or nothing.”
Whelan was arrested in 2018 and convicted two years later.
“I am very disappointed that more has not been done to ensure my release, especially as the fourth anniversary of my detention approaches,” he told CNN.
“If a message could go to President Biden, I would say this is a dangerous situation that needs to be resolved quickly,” he said.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.