President Joe Biden contacted the family of a former Marine trapped in Russia after the veteran’s parents reportedly waved at Biden’s motorcade during his visit to Fort Worth, Texas, on Tuesday.
During the call with Trevor Reed‘s parents and sister, Biden pledged to do “everything he can” to bring Reed back home and expressed his remorse for what the family is going through, according to the White House.
WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS NOT MEETING WITH FAMILY OF FORMER MARINE JAILED IN RUSSIA
“After his event in Fort Worth, the president called Joey and Paula Reed to reiterate his commitment to doing everything he can to bring their son home, to staying in close touch with them through his national security team, and to finding a time to meet in person,” a White House official told reporters.
Reed’s parents told CNN that Biden was apologetic for not being able to meet with the family during his visit to a Fort Worth Veterans Affairs clinic Tuesday, but the president told them he said a rosary for their son.
Reed has been detained in Russia since 2019 and was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2020 on charges of endangering Russian police officers while drinking. The State Department has repudiated the charges. Reed and his family maintain his innocence. U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan said the charges against him “were so preposterous that they provoked laughter in the courtroom.”
Last year, Reed ended a hunger strike that he claimed left him “very sick.” His family has expressed concerns about his health. Reed claims that he has coughed up blood, prompting concerns that he is sick with tuberculosis, CNN reported.
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Reed’s father told CNN that he most recently spoke with him Monday and said his son expressed anxiety that the United States has forgotten about him. “We have not. We love our son, and we’re going to fight to our dying day to bring him home,” his father told the network.
Looming over efforts to bring Reed home is Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has likened the barrage of sanctions issued by the U.S. and other Western nations to a declaration of war against his country. In addition to Reed, the U.S. is also pursuing the return of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another former Marine, Paul Whelan, both of whom remain in Russian custody.
