The family of US citizen Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia for espionage, issued a statement on Tuesday in which it expressed hope the new administration of President Joe Biden will be more active to secure his release
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2021) The family of US citizen Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia for espionage, issued a statement on Tuesday in which it expressed hope the new administration of President Joe Biden will be more active to secure his release.
"President Biden has said that he will be a president for all Americans. The United States has not had a president with that viewpoint for the entirety of Paul's wrongful detention. I am hopeful that, once again, the American government will care about the welfare of all Americans in peril," the statement said.
The Biden administration seems to be more ready to engage with Russia than the Trump administration had been on a range of issues, the statement said.
"The early statements about continuing the New START treaty are a good example," the statement said. "The sooner the State Department's leadership is in place, the sooner it can re-engage with the Russian Federation."
Paul Whelan, who is also a citizen of the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland, was arrested in Russia in December 2018 on charges of espionage and sentenced by a Moscow court on June 15. He denies being involved in espionage and insists he visited Russia to attend a friend's wedding.
