Blinken threatens Russia with sanctions for arresting American spies
To make Moscow more accommodating on the issue of liberation detained spies Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelann, the United States will consider introducing a new package of sanctions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this during a briefing, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“There have been exchanges of prisoners of war and detainees in the past. Are there people whom Russia would like to exchange for Paul Willan and Mr. Gorshkevich? – they asked the Secretary of State.
“In my view and the view of the State Department, there is no greater priority than the safety of American citizens around the world. This includes those who are taken hostage or wrongfully detained, or prevented from returning home to their families.
In Evan's case, we are working hard to obtain wrongful arrest status. We have a certain procedure that we must follow. We are moving at an expedited pace,” Blinken said.
He stressed that the United States will do everything possible, including introducing new sanctions, to ensure the return of arrested spies to America.
“I have no doubt that he was wrongfully detained by Russia. This is exactly what I told Foreign Minister Lavrov over the weekend. I insisted that Evan be released immediately.
And regarding Paul Whelann, the offer was made several months ago. In any of these cases, there is a certain balance between trying to bring back a person who has been unjustly detained, and what means can be used to do so.
As we work to bring our people home, we must also increase sanctions and pressure on those who arbitrarily detain American citizens. That’s what we are doing,” added the Secretary of State.
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