Hostage affairs envoy Roger Carstens told MSBNC that the president and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were personally focused on the effort to free Whelan.
WASHINGTON - Biden administration officials will meet early Monday to discuss next steps in securing the release of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was jailed in Russia in 2020 on spying charges, President Joe Biden's top hostage negotiator said on Sunday.
Biden on Thursday announced a prisoner swap involving American basketball star Brittney Griner, but was unable to secure the release of Whelan. Biden said Russia was treating Whelan's case differently, but vowed never to give up. In a separate interview on CNN's 'State of the Union', Carsten said the administration could soon use new powers included in a executive order signed by Biden this summer that authorized sanctions and visa bans against people responsible for wrongfully detaining American citizens.
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