President Joe Biden met with the parents of Trevor Reed, an American who has been detained in Russia for crimes he denies committing for almost three years.
The president “reiterated his commitment to work to secure” his release during his Monday meeting with Joey and Paula Reed, Trevor Reed’s parents, according to a statement from White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
“The president’s national security team will remain in regular contact with the Reeds, the Whelan family, and other families of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” she added. “We are grateful for their partnership and feedback. We will continue to work to ensure we are communicating and sharing information in a way useful to these families.”
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Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan, both of whom served in the Marines, have been detained in Russian prisons since 2020.
Trevor Reed was arrested in August 2019 while in Russia visiting his girlfriend. He was convicted the following year on charges that he assaulted a police officer, which he denies, and was ultimately sentenced to nine years in prison. He lost an appeal.
Whelan was arrested in late 2018 on espionage charges he denies and was later sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020.
Joey Reed expressed concern for his son’s well-being, noting in an interview with the Washington Examiner last week that Russia’s war in Ukraine has hampered diplomacy between Russia and the United States.
“Obviously, the diplomacy is deteriorating between the United States and Russia, which means their lines of communications are diminishing. Our military leaders used to talk with theirs and the Foreign Ministry and the State Department and the embassy,” he explained. “So that obviously is going to have an impact on not any discussions about a possible release or trade or something of that nature.”
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The younger Reed’s health is getting worse, according to his father, who said “something fell on” his son, leading him to believe he has a broken rib. His father also says his son is displaying “symptoms of active tuberculosis.” He was taken to the hospital, but the treatment he received left him unclear of his diagnoses.
Biden spoke with the Reeds over the phone earlier this month, saying he would direct his staff to arrange a more formal meeting. The phone call was “exactly the way we expected the president to be. He was very gracious,” Joey Reed said. “It was like talking to a relative.”
Brittney Griner, a WNBA star, is also detained in Russia. She was arrested weeks ago for allegedly possessing vape cartridges containing hash oil, which is illegal in Russia.
