US Must Negotiate Paul Whelan’s Release From Russia Before End of Year

 / Go to the mediabankU.S. Paul Whelan waits in a courtroom as the court considers requests to extending his arrest until October 28, at the Lefortovsky Court, in Moscow, Russia. Whelan was accused of espionage and detained by the Russian Federal Security Service on December 28, 2018 / Go to the mediabankWASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States must make an effort to negotiate US citizen Paul Whelan’s release from Russia before the end of the year, former US Ambassador Bill Richardson said in an interview.”Now we got to concentrate on Paul Whelan, and I think we have to make an effort to get him out before the end of the year,” Richardson told CNN on Thursday.Earlier in the day, Richardson’s spokesperson told Sputnik that the ambassador is hoping to meet with Russian officials in the coming weeks to resume talks on Whelan’s release.Richardson said he is optimistic that Whelan can be freed but underscored that the worsening relations between the United States and Russia have been affecting the negotiations.On Thursday, Russia released US women’s basketball player Brittney Griner from prison in exchange for the United States releasing Russian businessman Viktor Bout. The latter was serving a 25-year sentence in the United States for alleged arms dealing.In June 2020, a Moscow court sentenced Whelan to 16 years in prison for espionage. Whelan has denied the charges but did not challenge the court’s verdict in the hope of being part of a potential prisoner exchange.

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