Hostage affairs envoy Roger Carstens told MSBNC that the
president and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were personally
focused on the effort to free Whelan. He told CNN the
administration could soon roll out fresh sanctions under a
presidential executive order signed last summer.
Biden on Thursday announced a prisoner swap involving American
basketball star Brittney Griner, but was unable to secure the
release of Whelan. Biden said Russia was treating Whelan's case
differently, but vowed never to give up.
"We're working hard. We're coming up with different ways to do
this. We will not fail this mission," Carstens told MSNBC.
In a separate interview on CNN's 'State of the Union', Carsten
said the administration could soon use new powers included in a
executive order signed by Biden this summer that authorized
sanctions and visa bans against people responsible for
wrongfully detaining American citizens.
"We're working on target packages right now. It's something that
we discuss all the time. And it's not going to be too long
before you see something rolled out," he told CNN.
Whelan's brother David said he was aware of the meeting but not
its agenda or scope.
"It's great that the White House is not letting any grass grow
under their feet," he told Reuters. "Given that it is coming
just days after an exchange with Russia, it would seem unfair to
set any expectations or pressure on first steps to recalibrate
on bringing Paul home."
The White House had no comment on Monday's meeting or the
possible rollout of new sanctions.
Asked what realistic options the U.S. government had to bring
Whelan home, Carstens told CNN: "I would love to tell you about
it, because, to me, they're very exciting and interesting. But
... in these negotiations, because they're ongoing, we usually
have to keep our cards close to our chest."
Carstens told CNN he spoke with Whelan on Friday, the day after
the Griner swap, and told him: "Paul, you have the commitment of
this president ... Keep the faith. We're coming to get you."
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by
Simon Cameron-Moore)
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