Paul Whelan, the former United States Marine who Russia has held on espionage charges, conducted a rare phone interview to promote his case and urge officials to secure his release.
Whelan, who has been held in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges that he and the U.S. say are fabricated, was excluded from two high-profile prisoner swaps with Russia last year — one that brought home Trevor Reed and another that returned WNBA star Brittney Griner — reportedly because Moscow actually believes in the charges against the former Marine. Unlike with Whelan, Russia never accused Reed or Griner of spying, charges he and the U.S. deny.
BIDEN TARGETS TAXES IN DEBT CEILING TALKS: ‘REVENUE IS NOT OFF THE TABLE’
“I remain positive and confident on a daily basis that the wheels are turning,” Whelan said in a phone call to CNN. “I just wish they would turn a little bit more quickly.”
Asked if he worried about being left out of another prisoner swap deal, perhaps this time involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Whelan replied, “That’s an extreme worry for me and my family.”
Still, he said he felt more confident than he did following Griner’s release in December.
“I have been told that I won’t be left behind, and I have been told that although Evan’s case is a priority, mine is also a priority, and people are cognizant of the fact that this is having an extremely negative impact on me and my family,” Whelan said. “And I’m told that the government is working tirelessly to get me out of here and to get me home so they can then focus effort on Evan and his case.”
“I feel that my life shouldn’t be considered less valuable or important than others who have been previously traded,” he added. “And I think there are people in DC that feel the same way, and they’re moving towards a compromise and resolution to this as quickly as they can.”
Whelan called it “depressing on a daily basis going through this,” noting his “aches and pains of forced labor … and poor living conditions.”
“That’s a daily reminder of where I am and how long I’ve been here,” he said.
On top of the Biden administration, Whelan also has the support of his sister, Elizabeth Whelan, who has acted as a fierce advocate fighting for her brother’s release. She spoke in front of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the United Nations in late April, where she condemned Moscow’s treatment of her brother and demanded his release.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Russia’s less-than-sophisticated take on diplomacy is to arbitrarily detain American citizens in order to extract concessions from the United States. This is not the work of a mature and responsible nation; it is the action of a terrorist state,” Whelan’s sister said. “Paul was first in what has been an escalating series of wrongful detentions by Russia. First my brother Paul Whelan, then Trevor Reed, both tourists. The sports star Brittney Griner. And now the journalist Evan Gershkovich.”
“And who will be their next victim?” she added. “It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to see that Russia will continue to push the boundaries.”
