Trevor Reed.Photo: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images
The parents of a former U.S. Marine who has been held in Russia for nearly three years say they spoke to PresidentJoe Bidenthis week about their son as they continue to press for his release.
Trevor Reed was detained in Russia in August 2019 and in 2020 wassentenced to nine yearsin prison for endangering the “life and health” of Russian police officers after a night of drinking.
In a statement released after his arrest, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan called the trial and the evidence presented against Reed “so preposterousthat they provoked laughter in the courtroom.”
“I will continue to advocate on Trevor’s behalf. His safety and welfare — and that of all U.S. citizens in Russia — is my highest priority,” Sullivan’s statement read.
Speakingwith CNN in a story published Tuesday, Joey and Paula Reed, Trevor’s parents, said they stood for hours in the cold in Fort Worth, Texas, on Tuesday, trying to get the president’s attention as his motorcade passed on the way to deliver a speech.
The plan worked and, while the couple wasn’t able to have an in-person meeting, Biden called them on the phone.
Joey (left), Paula Reed.LM Otero/AP/Shutterstock
A CNN producer overhead the call, with the network reporting that Biden could be heard telling the couple: “I just can’t imagine what you’re going through. I don’t want you to think that it’s not something I constantly think about.”
Paula told CNN in an interview later that day that the president — a devout Catholic — said a rosary for their son and “was just very, very apologetic that he couldn’t meet with us.”
Reed’s mother added that Biden said he “thinks of Trevor every day and that he feels horrible that he hasn’t been able to bring Trevor home yet. And he said, ‘We’re not going to stop.’ "
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters earlier Tuesday while heading to Texas that the administration was “working toward setting up a meeting with [Reed’s] family.” She noted then that other officials had met with the family last year.
Reed’s situation has seemingly grown more dire in recent weeks, due to reported health issues and Russia’s ongoingattack on Ukraine, which continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
Last month, a U.S. Embassy spokespersonwrote on Twitterthat Reed had “prolonged exposure to another prisoner with active tuberculosis. Trevor now reports he is coughing up blood and has not received medical care for it. @mfa_russia give Trevor proper medical treatment; better yet, release him.”
With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyycalled for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country.
source: people.com
