by Harold W. Reid, The Chicago Times
December 6, 2021
WASHINGTON — The parents of Trevor Reed, a former United States Marine imprisoned in Russia, requested President Joe Biden on Monday to mention their son’s plight with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Biden and Putin are scheduled to meet via video on Tuesday to mainly discuss the apparent Russian military buildup along the Ukraine border. Many fear it is a prelude to invasion, which Moscow denies.
Reed’s parents, Joey and Paula, expressed concern ahead of the discussions that a dramatic escalation over Ukraine could jeopardize their 30-year-old son’s chances of freedom.
Reed, from Texas, was sentenced to nine years in prison last year after being found guilty of endangering the lives of two police officers in Moscow while intoxicated on a visit in 2019.
Like a page out of a Cold War novel, Reed and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on false spying charges, have been mentioned as possible prisoners swap with the US.
Russian media have suggested that Konstantin Yaroshenko, convicted in the US for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine, and Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year sentence, could be swapped for Reed and Whelan.
The Chicago Times 