Jailed American in Russia says he feels abandoned by United States

Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan who was convicted of espionage in Russia said he felt abandoned by the United States which has not come up with proposals acceptable enough for the Russians to agree to a prisoner swap, the BBC reported.
Whelan, who denies spying on Russia, was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB) in a room in Moscow’s Metropol Hotel on Dec. 28, 2018. Investigators said he was caught red-handed with a flash drive containing sensitive information.
The United States has repeatedly denied that Whelan is a spy and repeatedly demanded his release, offering several different proposed deals to get Whelan home. Washington says he was “wrongfully detained”.
Whelan told the BBC he felt “abandoned” by the United States and said a previous swap which left him behind in Russia was a “serious betrayal”.