CNN reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke via phone on Wednesday with American citizen Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine detained in a Russian prison on espionage charges. According to a source quoted by the network, Blinken told Whelan, "Hold the faith, and we are doing everything we can to bring you home as soon as possible." Whelan informed his parents that he "was able to have a long and frank conversation with Secretary Blinken," according to his brother David Whelan, who spoke to CNN without providing further details about the call.
This conversation comes as the Biden administration continues to emphasize to Russia the serious proposal they put forth for Whelan's release more than eight months ago; however, two officials from the U.S. administration told CNN that Russia has not responded substantively. A senior administration official stated that "it remains essential that we figure out how to resolve this issue." They added, "If we cannot achieve that based on what is available to us now, we will need to determine what it requires so that we can bring our citizens home."
Whelan was arrested in 2018 and spent 18 months in Moscow's Lefortovo prison, subsequently being sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 on espionage charges, which he denies. The United States has declared that Whelan is "wrongfully detained," a term indicating that the charges are fabricated and that the case is politically motivated. U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracy visited Whelan in May at the prison where he was held in eastern Russia.
