MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2021) US citizen and ex-marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage in Russia, called on US President Joe Biden on Wednesday to "aggressively discuss and resolve" politically-motivated detention of US citizens abroad during the upcoming talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The much-anticipated summit will take place in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16. The leaders are expected to discuss strategic stability, the situation in Ukraine and Belarus, among other issues.
"This is not an issue of Russia against me, it is an issue of Russia against the United States and the United States needs to answer this hostage diplomacy situation and resolve it as quickly as possible. So I would ask president Biden to aggressively discuss and resolve this issue [during the summit]," Whelan said in a phone interview with the CNN broadcaster.
The convict also called for immediate actions, noting that "the abduction of an American citizen cannot stand anywhere in the world."
Commenting on the upcoming summit, Whelan said that he had "a positive feeling" about the event, calling it "a good step in the right direction."
"I know that President Biden and Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken are working towards my release and return home," he added.
Whelan, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, was arrested in Russia in December 2018. A Moscow court sentenced him to a 16-year prison term for espionage last June. Whelan, however, has denied the charges and insisted that he came to Russia for a friend's wedding. Court papers have revealed that he has frequented Russia since 2007.
