Paul Whelan's Sister Says Not Right Time To Designate Russia As Terrorist State - Reports

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2022) Eliabeth Whelan, the sister of US citizen Paul Whelan who is imprisoned in Russia for espionage, said in an interview for Politico that now is not the right time to designate Russia as a terrorist state after US senators unveiled new legislation that would bypass the State Department and label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

Whelan said she is not against the bill proposed by senators Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham but considers their timing to be bad, Politico reported on Friday.

She expressed frustration that neither of the Senators nor any of the five Congressmen who introduced a similar bill i the US House of Representatives, attempted to reach out to the Whelan family to explain that they have taken the detainees' interests into account, the report said.

Whelan has also neither disapproved nor supported former US Ambassador Bill Richardson's trip to Moscow to meet with Russian officials in a bid to persuade them to release her brother Paul and imprisoned basketball player Brittney Griner, the report added.

US President Joe Biden is expected to meet with the Whelans and Griners on Friday afternoon to inform them of his administration's efforts to bring Paul and Brittney home.