President Joe Biden’s national security adviser announced high-level talks this week to secure the release of Paul Whelan, a Marine whom the United States considers wrongfully detained by Russia, but said American policy in Ukraine would not change to make a deal.
Whelan, detained in Russia on espionage charges, was not included in a prisoner swap last week for WNBA superstar Brittney Griner. A deal to free American Trevor Reed this year also left Whelan behind.Griner was exchanged for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, whose return Moscow had long sought. U.S. officials have not discussed options for Whelan’s release publicly but said that Russia was not negotiating in “good faith when it came to Paul.
“We have been working to figure out what it’s going to take to ultimately secure [Whelan’s] freedom,” Sullivan said on the efforts to secure a deal. Asked whether the White House might consider a shift in U.S. policy to encourage Russia to come to the table, Sullivan said support for Ukraine in the war against Russia would not waver.
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