Thu, 07 Jul 22 04:05:30 +0000

Biden is caught in a storm between Russia and its U.S. prisoners

(CNN)President Joe BidenisRussiaand Vladimirputin- A leader who has little hesitation about using civilians to shatter his political goals.

Biden faces increased pressure from WNBA star Brittney Grinerandformer US Marine Corps Paul Weeranrelatives .. He goes home and wonders if their destiny has his personal interests.

But the White House reaction only deepens his political discomfort. After Biden calledGreener's wife Cherelon Wednesday and responded to a letterfrom abasketball player, Welan's sister said she was "surprised."

The situation is stillanother crisis affecting the White House, some of which occasionally decline prior to the midterm elections, which are likely to be Biden's referendum. Presidential position testing public messaging machines.

As the president's political enthusiasm grows, the US leverage needed to free the pair is undermined by hostile relations between Moscow and Washington, with essentially wider political pawns. You will remain trapped in a geopolitical trap. Given the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the relentless US campaign to isolate and punish the Kremlin, Americans may not have been so badly imprisoned in Russia.

Greener was arrested at Moscow Airport in February after playing in Moscow a week before the invasion and during the WNBA's off-season. Her Russian officials alleged that she had hemp oil in her baggage and accused her of smuggling her large doses of narcotic material. This is a crime that can be punished with up to 10 years in prison. Her trial will resume this week.

Welan was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of espionage, but he denied it. He was convicted in June 2020 in a trial accused of being unfair by US authorities and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He is also wondering if the Biden White House is doing everything it can to free him.

Washington says both Americans were torted.

While the suffering of Greener and Welan and their families is justified, it is dangerous to raise the public profile of their case. They are trying to drive the administration into urgent action, but signs of increasing public pressure on Biden have been steadily reported to Putin and his men by Russian diplomats. This not only complicates the government's efforts to thwart the fate of US prisoners from a wide menu of complaints that shattered US dialogue with Russia. It could also bold the Russian leader, who Biden called a "butcher," and is eager to condemn US sanctions and military aid to Ukraine. It could also raise the price of the final deal between the United States and Russia to win the liberation of Americans-perhaps on the line of Cold War-style prisoner exchange that liberated sick Americans. Trevor Reed, in April.

Personal plight and American interests

In the United States, especially Greener's plight is seen through a humanitarian lens. And for loved ones in jail, almost every step of taking them home would be seen as a small price to pay.

However, the White House and the State Department are also trying to return Washington's imprisoned citizens to US adversaries such as Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea, or groups of criminals and terrorists. You need to prevent telling us that you are open for a deal. It will leave all Americans very vulnerable when they travel abroad.

Biden's headache for this problem is getting worse. Whenever the president does not seem to be able to dictate the terms to foreign influential people, it is politically problematic. And given his approval assessment of Parlaus, Biden is essentially unable to afford the crisis of alien hostages and is open to domestic political enemies.

After Grinner's camp has increased pressure, the president's political exposure is a letter from Phoenix Mercury's star himself to the president, fearing he will be put in prison indefinitely in Russia. Recently, it has increased significantly. In an interview with CNN, her wife, Sherell, asked if her efforts to release her were in line with American rhetoric.

Later, at a rally in Arizona held by Greener's parent team and Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton, participants expressed concern about her situation.

"I'm dissatisfied with her wife's inability to obtain her justice," said Cherelle Griner.

When rushing to atone for Greener's camp, the administration may have succeeded in largely ratcheting up the political turmoil it was trying to subdue.

Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on the phone with Cherelle Griner on Wednesday, assuring her that she was pursuing every possible means to free her wife. And the president shared with her her reply, which she wrote to her Phoenix Mercury Center. However, his attention to Grinner's case quickly caused friction with Welan's family. Former Marin's sister didn't pay attention to the Greener family to CNN, but she wondered why she was working on some families and not reaching out to others. Told.

"I was surprised to hear about this phone this morning," Elizabeth Welan told CNN's Erica Hill. "I was wondering if we should push the talks with the president. What I really want is a functional process that doesn't really need it."

Welan is her brother. Said he wrote hundreds of letters, including Biden, former President Donald Trump and members of the House of Representatives. She said she believed that the US government was doing everything she could to bring her brother home, but she did not reach out to her family.

"My message to the White House is years and years to see other families with much less resources take some action to bring their loved ones home. I was also waiting. What we need to see is a little more uniform and handed over. "

Greener and Welan are not the only Americans imprisoned abroad. A coalition of relatives who participated in the "Campaign to Bring Family Home" also called on the president to be more personally involved in their case. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting with his family to ensure that the administration was doing everything it could. On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Edward Price spoke of the extreme sensitivity of many incidents, stating that his family understood the urge to stir up as much publicity as possible.

"We don't want to do anything ourselves, we don't want to say anything that could put us at risk," Price said. "We talked with the family about how to avoid doing things that would further complicate the liberation of their loved ones."

The U.S. government said the other two Americans, We are also dealing with the cases ofAlexander John-Robert Druekeand Andy TaiNgoc Huynh. These Americans are detained in the pro-Russian People's Republic of Donetsk. Captured the battle for Ukraine.

One mother of a man, Bunny Druke, told CNN Erin Burnett on Wednesday that she was happy with the administration's response.

"I haven't been contacted by President Biden or the White House, but I didn't expect it. It's not their responsibility," she said, and she's happy with Blinken's role in the matter. She added. She pointed out that she was different from Greener because her son and his compatriots were prisoners of war.

Sensitive diplomatic maneuvers

The position of Americans detained by US enemies is particularly difficult. Washington may want to silo individual cases from complex geopolitical conflicts, but hostile governments are obliged to try to use them for their own purposes.

This is why prisoners like Greener have so few options. The leader is trapped in a country that has little regret about using innocent citizens as chits.

"What really happened to Brittney Griner-she was kidnapped and is currently detained in exchange for what Putin wants," said Steve Hall, former Russian CIA director. I said last week.

Hall emphasized how US negotiations on the release of prisoners abroad would be viewed by national enemies. "We will encourage this more, not just Russia. North Korea is a perfect example. These rogue nations, these authoritarian nations, have to be business people or not. Regardless, I know it's only about catching one American. Experts like tourists, Greener-and they can negotiate whatever they want. "CNN National Security Hall of security analyst said.

Prices that Russia may demand generosity for such a well-known person may rise day by day. Moscow certainly wants to extract the Russian weapons merchantViktorBoutfrom US prisons, known as the "merchant of death."

However, if Biden offers a match in a prisoner exchange, Biden will face significant resistance from leaders within the criminal justice hierarchy. It is, in part, a Russian detective of the completeness of US prosecution where Bout was imprisoned for 25 years for plots to kill Americans, acquisition and export of anti-aircraft missiles, and providing physical support to terrorist organizations. Will be equated with the procedure. What Washington considers to be fake.

These judicial and geopolitical considerations are inferior to Americans whose relatives are often imprisoned in primitive and unhealthy conditions thousands of miles away from home. .. These cases are often very unmanageable and often involve unspeakable trade-offs between humanitarian considerations and national interests, so they are placed on the president's desk.

And all the choices the president makes have considerable drawbacks.