Paul Whelan, the former US Marine who has been wrongfully detained in Russia since 2018, urged the Biden administration to move a “little bit more quickly” on pushing for his release.
Whelan, who was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and is serving a 16-year prison sentence for the crime of espionage, said he remains “confident” but restless.
“I remain positive and confident on a daily basis that the wheels are turning,” Whelan, 53, told CNN in a phone interview from a prison camp in Mordovia.
“I just wish they would turn a little bit more quickly,” the Michigan corporate security executive for BorgWarner added.
Whelan vehemently maintains he is innocent.
The US State Department told the Wall Street Journal recently that a prisoner swap with Russia would be the most realistic path to secure the release of Whelan, its reporter Evan Gershkovich and other Americans.
But after exchanging notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Britney Griner in December, the US has apparently been left without a comparable trading candidate for Whelan and Gershkovich.
Another American, Marine veteran Trevor Reed, also was released during a prisoner exchange last year.
Whelan told CNN that the Journal correspondent’s detention has left him fearing about his future.
“That’s an extreme worry for me and my family,” he said.
But he told CNN that he is more confident now about his prospects than he was when he last spoke to the network in December after Griner was released.
“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 Sunday.
“I feel that my life shouldn’t be considered less valuable or important than others who have been previously traded. 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,” he continued.
The Canadian-born man, who also holds British and Irish citizenship, told CNN that he has “the usual 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 told the network.
Whelan cited President Biden’s public pronouncements and his sister Elizabeth Whelan’s presence at a UN Security Council meeting chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as reasons for his renewed optimism.
“I will say that the comments President Biden made at the press corps dinner were very, very encouraging,” he said, referring to the commander-in-chief’s remarks that he and his administration will not stop fighting for Whelan “until we get him home.”
Whelan said the Russians allowed him to watch Biden’s statements at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and his sister’s address to the UN because they try to spin them as “the Americans begging for one of their people back.”
“It was funny because we stood here in the prison watching the TV and watching my sister speak at the UN, and everyone was mesmerized that this sort of thing could happen,” Whelan told CNN.
“And I said, ‘You know, in America and in Canada, England, Ireland, this is the sort of thing that we do. We have the freedom to speak out and to speak at a place like the UN.’ But it is unprecedented. And, you know, I thank everyone involved with making that happen,” he said.
Whelan also appealed directly to Biden.
“Mr. President, I’ve been held hostage for more than 52 months, and the only crime I have committed in Russia is that of being an American citizen,” he said.
“Freedom is not free, it comes at a price. But the loss of freedom is even more costly, and I pay that cost every day Russia holds me. Please follow through with your promises and commitments, truly make my life a priority, and get me home. Thank you very much,” Whelan said.
Meanwhile, Whelan’s brother, David, said he was “really pleased to hear the positivity” in his brother’s voice.
“I think we are worried about his mental health and his morale and his ability to keep going day to day until something is resolved, so all of that sounded very positive,” he told CNN’s Jim Acosta after the interview aired.
“I think we have waited a long time since Secretary (of State Anthony) Blinken made the comment about a substantial offer had been made to the Kremlin and that the Kremlin hadn’t responded. We’ve waited months,” he continued.
“I’m sure that they don’t forget that each day Paul has to spend waiting for them to act, but I wish they would act more quickly, more decisively, and bring Paul and bring other Americans home,” he added.
https://nypost.com/2023/05/22/paul-whelan-urges-quicker-action-by-us-to-secure-his-release/
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