Russia has granted consular access to Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen arrested in Moscow last week, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson, said that U.S. consular officials were allowed to see Mr. Whelan on Wednesday afternoon, CNN reported.
The U.S. State Department confirmed that Jon Huntsman, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, visited Mr. Whelan at the Lefortovo Detention Facility in Moscow and then spoke with Mr. Whelan’s family by phone.
“Ambassador Huntsman expressed his support for Mr. Whelan and offered the Embassy’s assistance,” a State Department spokesperson told The Washington Times later Wednesday.
“Due to privacy considerations for Mr. Whelan and his family, we have nothing further at this time,” the spokesperson said.
Mr. Whelan, a 48-year-old former Marine from Michigan, was arrested last Friday, Dec. 28, “during an espionage operation,” Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced Monday. No further details about the allegations have been released.
Mike Pompeo, President Trump’s secretary of state, said earlier Wednesday that the U.S. was “hopeful” about being granted consular access to Mr. Whelan “within the next hours.”
“We have made clear to the Russians our expectation that we will learn more about the charges, come to understand what it is he’s been accused of and if the detention is not appropriate, we will demand his immediate return,” Mr. Pompeo told reporters in Brazil.
Mr. Whelan was in Moscow at the time of his arrest to attend a wedding between a fellow former U.S. service member and a Russian woman, according to his family.
“We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being,” his brother, David Whelan, wrote on Twitter. “His innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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