President Joe Biden has announced that his administration is "considering" a request from Australia to put an end to the prosecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The statement came during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House, where Biden responded to a reporter's question regarding Assange's case.

Assange, an Australian citizen, has been indicted on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse in relation to WikiLeaks' publication of classified U.S. files. American prosecutors argue that his actions endangered lives when he assisted U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in unlawfully obtaining diplomatic cables and military files that were later published by WikiLeaks.

Manning, who had been sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking classified information to WikiLeaks, had her sentence commuted by then-President Barack Obama after serving seven years. However, she was later incarcerated for refusing to cooperate with grand juries investigating the leaked documents.

Assange has been in a legal battle against extradition to the U.S. from the United Kingdom for over a decade. After spending seven years in self-imposed exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, he has been held in the high-security Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of the British capital for the past five years.

In a significant development last month, the High Court in London granted Assange a temporary reprieve from extradition on espionage charges, allowing for a new hearing to take place.

Now, with Australia's request to the United States to halt Assange's prosecution, President Biden has stated that his administration is giving serious consideration to the matter. The decision holds both legal and diplomatic implications, given Assange's high-profile status as the founder of WikiLeaks.

The outcome of President Biden's deliberation could have far-reaching consequences for Assange's legal battle against extradition to the U.S. Supporters of Assange have long argued that his actions were protected journalistic activities, while critics maintain that he compromised national security. The impending decision will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of this closely watched case.

As the discussions continue, Assange's future remains uncertain. The potential resolution of his legal troubles lies not only in the hands of the U.S. justice system but also in the delicate balance between two allied nations seeking to find common ground on this complex and contentious issue.