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Washington — President Biden on Wednesday met with the sister of Paul Whelan

The individual, who is believed by the United States to be unlawfully imprisoned in Russia after being arrested for espionage in 2018.

For several months, Elizabeth Whelan had been trying to arrange a meeting with the president. Her family is urging the Biden administration to take further action in securing her brother’s release.

The White House reported that the President met with Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of Paul Whelan who was wrongly held in Russia, to discuss their ongoing efforts to secure his release. National security adviser Jake Sullivan also attended the meeting.

new and significant” proposal to Russia for the release of Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested last March on unsubstantiated espionage charges while he was on a reporting trip. 

The United States has declared that Gershkovich, who is currently awaiting trial, was wrongly detained.

Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the State Department, announced on December 5th that Russia has rejected the proposal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged

The Kremlin and Washington engaged in talks last month.

During his end-of-year news conference, Putin expressed optimism in finding a resolution. He emphasized the importance of the American side listening to and considering the needs of the Russian side in making a decision.

Miller stated that the United States had presented several proposals.

Miller stated on December 14 that they have observed the other party declining their suggestions and they remain hopeful that they will alter their approach in the future.

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of talk surrounding Paul Whelan.

He has been contacting members of the press.

The individual currently serving a sentence at the labor camp in Mordovia expressed to CBS News’ partner network BBC News their disbelief and disappointment at being left behind by the Biden administration, while others have been released in prisoner exchanges.

The United States has engaged in prisoner exchanges in order to secure the release of a Marine veteran.Trevor Reed and WNBA star Brittney Griner

Two individuals, who were unlawfully imprisoned in Russia after the arrest of Paul Whelan, as stated by the United States.

He expressed deep disappointment over a grave act of disloyalty during an interview with the BBC. He acknowledged the United States’ efforts in presenting significant plans, but the Russian’s intentions differ. As a result, there is continuous back-and-forth negotiations, causing a detrimental impact on his life.

David Whelan sent an email to the press on the fifth anniversary of his brother Paul Whelan’s detention, expressing doubt about his release in the near future. He highlighted the fact that Paul Whelan was jeopardizing his own safety by making phone calls.

“I believe Paul is being driven to extreme actions due to feeling hopeless about his current situation,” the writer expressed. “He has experienced the loss of a job he was passionate about, been forced to leave his long-term residence, mourned the passing of a cherished family pet, and is aware that time is running out to see our parents once more.”

After the State Department revealed that an offer to free Paul Whelan and Gershkovich had been rejected by Russia, David Whelan called on the White House to meet with Elizabeth Whelan. 

On December 7th, the speaker urged the White House to take action rather than simply making empty statements. They suggested that a meeting would be beneficial in demonstrating the President’s commitment to fulfilling his promise to Paul and bringing him back home to his family.

On Wednesday, the White House announced that President Biden has been actively involved in the mission to ensure the release of Americans who are being held hostage or detained without justification in various parts of the world, such as Paul Whelan and fellow American Evan Gershkovich.

Caitlin Yilek

Source: cbsnews.com