Exclusive: American imprisoned in Russia calls on Biden to take 'decisive action' to stop detention of US citizens
CNN
Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia, called on President Joe Biden to "aggressively discuss and resolve" the issue of US citizens being detained for political purposes when he meets President Vladimir Putin at a summit later this month.
"Decisive action is needed immediately" to stop the "abduction" of US citizens, Whelan told CNN in an exclusive phone interview from the Russian labor camp where he is serving out a 16-year sentence for an espionage charge he vehemently denies. "This is not an issue of Russia against me; it's an issue of Russia against the United States, and the United States needs to answer this hostage diplomacy situation and resolve it as quickly as possible," he said.President Joe Biden on Sunday delivers his first commencement address of the 2024 season at Morehouse College, where the president may for the first time in months have to confront the angst that’s been percolating on college campuses nationwide toward his administration’s policies on the Israel-Hamas war.
Arab and Palestinian Americans left a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday night frustrated they did not have a clear understanding of how the Biden administration might act upon their concerns as the Israel-Hamas war devastates the civilian population in Gaza, participants told CNN.