UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO US ACCUSES RUSSIA OF ‘GENOCIDE’ DURING INVASION

A consular officer visited with Griner on Wednesday, the State Department spokesperson said, adding that U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan last saw Reed and Whelan in November.

The war in Ukraine, a month old now, and the resulting diplomatic tension are a concern for Joey Reed, Trevor’s father, who expressed gratitude toward the embassy in Moscow but called their efforts “to a large extent ineffective.”

“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 told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “So that obviously is going to have an impact on not any discussions about a possible release or trade or something of that nature.”

“If we don’t get these Americans out of Russia now, we may never get them back,” he added.

The younger Reed, who once served as a presidential guard, part of an elite unit that protects the president and vice president at the White House and Camp David, was arrested on Aug. 15, 2019, over allegations that he assaulted local police officers, which he denies. He’s currently being held in the IK-12 gulag in the Republic of Mordovia.

Trevor 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 maintains he is also displaying “symptoms of active tuberculosis.” He was taken to the hospital, but the treatment he received left him unclear of his diagnoses.

Joey Reed and his wife, Paula, had not received a call from their son in 232 days. That was until he called a couple of weeks ago, when the prison began temporarily allowing him to call his parents, the embassy, and his girlfriend, whom he went to visit the summer he was arrested. He was able to call his girlfriend previously, but in his conversation with her after returning from the hospital, he said they blocked the embassy’s number.

The Reeds got President Joe Biden’s attention as they waved to his motorcade on a visit to Fort Worth, Texas, after not meeting with them in a recent trip to the state. Biden later spoke with them, 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. It was like talking to a relative.”

Their “short” conversation with the president “reinforces our belief that not making the exchange for prisoners is not his idea,” Joey Reed claimed. “Someone in his administration is blocking this, and we need to get to the boss and have him make this happen before it’s too late.”

Paul Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges that he denies. His brother, David, told the Washington Examiner that his brother’s “physical health and mental health are probably as good as they could be,” but he expressed concern about the sanctions the United States has imposed against Russia, which now bars the family from sending packages and money to him. “We’re really in a pickle.”

The family puts money on a phone card for Paul Whelan to use to call his parents, but without the ability to refill it now, the family said, “We’ve probably got a couple months if Paul’s careful with the phone call money, but at that point, we’re not really sure what we’re going to do.”

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The State Department spokesperson said securing the release of Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan remains “an absolute priority for us,” adding, “Regardless of any geopolitical issues and geopolitical dynamics, we work tirelessly to seek the release of all U.S. hostages and those wrongfully detained abroad whenever they are held.” 

Joey Reed also warned that he believes the Russians will continue to detain Griner for an extended period of time — barring U.S. intervention diplomatically.