Whelan's Brother On Putin's Remarks: We Will Wait To See If Compromises Include Paul

David Whelan told Sputnik on Wednesday that it remains to be seen if his brother Paul, the former US marine jailed in Russia for espionage, will be part of potential bilateral compromises suggested by Russian President Vladimir Putin

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th June, 2021) David Whelan told Sputnik on Wednesday that it remains to be seen if his brother Paul, the former US marine jailed in Russia for espionage, will be part of potential bilateral compromises suggested by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We'll have to wait and see if any resulting compromises include Paul or not," David Whelan said in his first reaction to Putin's statements after meeting with US President Joe Biden in Geneva.

Putin told reporters that he discussed with Biden the issue of swapping prisoners and suggested that "certain compromises may be found.

" Putin also said Russia's Foreign Ministry and the US State Department "will work in this direction."

Paul Whelan is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage per a Moscow court's verdict delivered last June. The convict, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, has maintained he is innocent and insisted that he came to Russia for a friend's wedding. Court papers have revealed that he has frequented Russia since 2007.