WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2019) The nominee for United States ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, will hopefully be as engaged in the case of detained US citizen Paul Whelan as was the previous ambassador, the Whelan family told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"We have appreciated the leadership that [former US] Ambassador Jon Huntsman brought to the embassy, visiting Paul at the first opportunity," Paul's brother David Whelan told Sputnik. "We hope that the next ambassador to the Russian Federation is just as engaged in Paul's case."
On Friday, the White House said in a statement that President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan as US ambassador to Russia.
Paul Whelan has been detained in Moscow since December, when the Russian authorities arrested him on charges of espionage.
Whelan had regularly visited Russia since 2007 and also holds British, Canadian and Irish citizenship.
David Whelan said the family has communicated with Sullivan in his current position at the State Department, but has not contacted him since he was nominated for the ambassadorship.
Paul Whelan has denied the espionage charges against him and has insisted that he arrived in Russia to attend a friend's wedding. If convicted, he faces a sentence from ten to 20 years in prison.
