NEW YORK, December 6. /TASS/. The family of US national Paul Whelan, convicted in Russia for spying, hopes that the issue of his release will be discussed at the upcoming talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Joe Biden via a video link on December 7, the convict’s brother David Whelan told reporters on Monday.
"We hope that President Biden will press for Paul's release, as his representatives in the State Department and the National Security Council have done. Our family realizes this meeting has greater issues to discuss <…> against which hostage diplomacy pales in comparison. Yet I remain confident that President Biden will do what he can," he pointed out.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held an online roundtable with the relatives of the Americans serving their prison term in Russia, David Whelan added.
"There was a candid discussion and I came away with greater clarity about the White House's process. It feels as though the White House remains both engaged and listening to family concerns about bringing our loved ones home," he said.
On December 28, 2018, Whelan, who holds US, UK, Canadian and Irish citizenship, was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service in a room of Moscow’s Metropol Hotel while on a spy mission.
The FSB opened a criminal case against him on charges of espionage under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code. The Moscow City Court found Whelan guilty of spying against Russia and sentenced him to 16 years in a high security colony.