American Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage against Russia, called on US President Joe Biden during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to resolve the issue of arresting American citizens for political reasons. Overall, the summit, scheduled for June 16, Whelan considered “a good step in the right direction.”
The Moscow City Court sentenced Whelan to 16 years in prison for espionage. The details of the case are still classified.
Recently former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Paul Whelan and another US citizen, Trevor Reid, before meeting Joe Biden. Ryabkov later said that Moscow and Washington did not consider the possibility of exchanging Whelan, adding that the question of the exchange “is on a different plane,” and Whelan “is not discussed in such schemes and exchanges.”
– .
