Lavrov Says Regrettable To Hear Statements On Possible Russia Sanctions Over Whelan Arrest

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published January 16, 2019 | 04:05 PM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov voiced regret on Wednesday that some Western nations were discussing the possibility of imposing new sanctions against Russia over the situation around Paul Whelan, a former US marine arrested in Moscow on charges of espionage

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2019) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov voiced regret on Wednesday that some Western nations were discussing the possibility of imposing new sanctions against Russia over the situation around Paul Whelan, a former US marine arrested in Moscow on charges of espionage.

Whelan, aged 48, who has Canadian, Irish, UK and US citizenship, was detained in Moscow in December. He denies the charges and insists he came to Russia only to attend a friend's wedding.

"It is quite regrettable that insistent demands to immediately release him can be heard from states of his citizenship, including Canada, while some start threatening us with sanctions," Lavrov said at a press conference.