President Biden met on Wednesday with the sister of Paul Whelan, an American who has been detained in Russia since 2018 on spying charges, a charge Biden strongly denies.
The White House said in a statement that Mr. Biden met privately with Elizabeth Whelan “to discuss the administration's continued efforts to secure Mr. Paul's release from Russia.” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also joined the talks.
The president called Whelan's parents after the visit.
Mr. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020. The United States has ruled his detention unlawful and criticized Russia's criminal charges and court proceedings as deceptive.
Securing Whelan's release has become a priority for the Biden administration, along with Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Russia last March on spying charges. The paper strongly denies this.
The Biden administration was unable to secure Mr. Whelan's release in December 2022 as part of a prisoner swap that would release basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for the release of arms dealer Victor Bout.
Administration officials said they believe the Russians are holding back Mr. Whelan's release to a higher standard than Mr. Griner because of the spying charges. Similar charges against Gershković also make it difficult to secure his release.
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