Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with jailed Marine Paul Whelan in Russia, telling him to ‘keep the faith’

Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine currently being held in Russia, spoke by phone Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, though it appears no progress has been made on releasing him.

Blinken told Whelan to “keep the faith and we’re doing everything we can to get you home as soon as possible,” CNN reported, citing a source.

It comes the same day Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said Moscow and Washington were using an effective channel to swap prisoners in his comment on Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Whelan, both imprisoned in Russia.

“The issue of prisoner exchanges is resolved by authorized bodies that the presidents agreed on in 2021,” Antonov said on his official channel on the Telegram app.

“The special channel has proven effective,” he said, referring to the prisoner swap.

The Biden administration had hoped to secure Whelan’s release during the prisoner exchange negotiations that eventually released American basketball star Brittney Griner from a Russian prison in December.

Analysts have noted that Moscow could use imprisoned Americans as bargaining chips in rising US-Russian tensions over the Kremlin’s military operation in Ukraine.

Whelan was arrested in 2018, held for 18 months in Lefortovo prison in Moscow and imprisoned for 16 years in 2020 for espionage. He denied the charges.

The United States has designated Whelan as “wrongfully detained”, a term which effectively means that the charges are false and the case is politically motivated.

US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited Whelan in May at the prison in eastern Russia where he was being held.

Whelan, who holds American, Irish, British and Canadian citizenship, was arrested by Russian authorities in December 2018, accusing him of being involved in a spy operation.

Although he vehemently denied the espionage charges, the former US Marine was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Whelan’s confidence in US efforts to free him stems in part from public messages he has seen, including President Joe Biden’s remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

“I will say President Biden’s comments at the press corps dinner were very, very encouraging,” Whelan noted. Biden said the administration won’t stop fighting for him “until we bring him home.”

Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth, attended a United Nations Security Council meeting chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which further boosted her optimism.

The prisoner expressed his gratitude for the public protests and events regarding his case, as they demonstrate to him and to the world that the leaders are touched by his situation and are actively working for his release.

He also highlighted the immense collaborative effort between agencies in his four countries of citizenship.

“It was funny because we were here in the prison watching TV and watching my sister speak at the UN, and everyone was fascinated that this kind of thing could happen. And I said, “You know, in America and in Canada, in England, in Ireland, that’s the kind of stuff we do. We have the freedom to speak and speak at a place like the UN. ” But this is unheard of. I thank everyone involved in achieving this goal,” Whelan said.

“Public displays and events such as the press corps dinner and the UN visit demonstrate not only to me, privately, but to the world that our leaders are touched by this, and they want me back, and they’re working to try to get me home.

“If you consider all the people and all the agencies in my four countries that are working on this, it’s amazing, and I think they’re going to make it happen.”

Blinken has publicly stated that the United States has made a ‘serious proposal’ to secure Whelan’s release, with the US State Department stressing that there is ‘no higher priority’ than securing the release of Whelan and Gershkovich.

During his phone call with CNN, Whelan directly called on President Biden to continue his efforts to secure his freedom.

‘M. President, I was held hostage for over 52 months, and the only crime I committed in Russia was being an American citizen,” he said.

“Freedom is not free, it has a price. But the loss of freedom is even more costly, and I pay that price every day Russia holds me back.

“Please keep your promises and commitments, really make my life a priority and bring me home. Thank you so much.’

Whelan’s brother David expressed relief at hearing the positivity in Paul’s voice during the CNN interview.

“I think we’re worried about his mental health, his morale and his ability to carry on day to day until something is resolved, so it all seemed very positive,” he said.

“I think we have waited a long time since Secretary Blinken made the comment that a substantial offer had been made to the Kremlin and the Kremlin had not responded. We waited months.

“I’m sure they remember that Paul has to spend every day waiting for them to act, but I wish they would act faster, more decisively, and bring Paul back and bring other Americans back to the House.”

At the time of his arrest, Whelan was a global security manager for BorgWarner, a Michigan auto parts supplier.

Whelan, originally from Ottawa, Canada, was born to British parents of Irish descent who moved to the town of Novi, Michigan in his youth.

Whelan served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 2003 to 2008, mostly as an administrative clerk in Iraq.

While serving in the military, Whelan took advantage of a program that gave members a two-week, all-expenses-paid vacation.

The Michigan man chose to travel to Russia, saying it was ideal for a “single guy like me.”

His first trip to Russia dates back to 2007. Last November, a Russian court rejected his request to be allowed to serve his sentence in the United States.