Former Gov. Bill Richardson held meetings in Moscow this week with Russian leadership

[brooklynite]

Source: CNN

Former Gov. Bill Richardson and his team were in Moscow this week and held meetings with Russian leadership, CNN has learned.

The details around those meetings were not immediately clear.

Richardson, the former New Mexico governor and diplomat, and his namesake center privately work on behalf of families of hostages and detainees, and the trip comes as the Biden administration works to free two Americans whom the State Department have classified as wrongfully detained: Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.

A spokesperson for the Richardson Center told CNN on Tuesday that “at this point we are not able to comment on this.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/13/politics/bill-richardson-new-mexico-governor-moscow/index.html

[Cozmo]

1. This sounds good!

[rogue emissary]

2. He has a great track record of successful releases.

Governor Richardson’s involvement helped advance successful negotiations in cases including: Laura Ling, held by North Korea; Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas; Three Americans held hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia; Journalist Paul Salopek and two of his colleagues held by the government of Sudan; The remains of six U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War from North Korea; John Early, a pilot for the International Red Cross, his co-pilot, an Australian nurse and five rebel soldiers taken hostage by a rebel group in Sudan; A young American man who swam across the Yalu River from China to North Korea; An American woman who was imprisoned in Bangladesh; Three jailed dissidents in Cuba; Two American defense contractors arrested by Saddam Hussein in Iraq; Release from house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma; The crew of the downed chopper in North Korea; and more.

Governor Richardson met with Bolivian President, Ero Morales, to help secure the release of Jacob Ostreicher in December 2013, negotiated with officials to ultimately secure freedom for US Marine Sgt Andrew Tahmooressi from Mexico, and Alan Gross from Cuba in October – December 2014, and his persistence with Peruvian leader, Alberto Fujimeri, led to the safe return of Lori Berenson in December 2015.

https://www.richardsondiplomacy.org/negotiating-prisoner-and-hostage-releases/

[alittlelark]

3. They should share some trout.

....It has worked well in the past.

[Hekate]

4. Fingers crossed for Putin's American hostages. All well wishes for Gov. Richardson.

🌻

[iluvtennis]

5. Sending positive vibes for release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan. n/t

[murielm99]

6. I heard him speak several years ago.

It had nothing to do with this.