Leonhard Foeger | Reuters
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin gestures during a joint news conference with Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen in Vienna, Austria June 5, 2018.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday the United States had detained a Russian citizen, days after Moscow arrested the former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan on suspicion of spying.
Whelan was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service on Dec. 28. His family have said he is innocent and that he was in Moscow to attend a wedding.
The ministry said the United States detained Russian citizen Dmitry Makarenko on the Northern Mariana Islands on Dec. 29 and had moved him to Florida.
“… Makarenko, born in 1979, has arrived on Saipan Island with his wife, underage children and elderly parents. He was detained by FBI personnel at the airport right after his arrival,” the ministry said.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow could not immediately be reached for comment. The accusations from both sides could further complicate a strained relationship between Moscow and Washington, despite the professed desire of
Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to build a personal rapport. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said this week Washington had asked Moscow to explain Whelan’s arrest and would demand his immediate return if it determined his detention is inappropriate.
from Update News Zone http://bit.ly/2SBGWbx
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