Paul Whelan tells CNN he’s ‘a little concerned’ that soldier’s arrest in Russia could complicate his case

CNN
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Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia, expressed renewed optimism about U.S. efforts to secure his release during a call with CNN on Wednesday, but acknowledged “some concern” that the recent arrest of a soldier American in Russia could complicate things.

Whelan, who has been detained for more than five years in Russia and is designated as wrongly detained by the US State Department, said he was “widely” aware of his arrest after being informed by his parents, but that he didn’t know any details.

U.S. Staff Sgt. Gordon Black traveled to Russia without permission from the U.S. military to visit his girlfriend, his mother said. He was arrested last week in Vladivostok, in the far east of the country, for theft. A court ordered that he remain in custody until July 2. The United States was not granted consular access to see it.

Whelan said he was “a little concerned” that if Black was wrongly designated as detained, it could delay negotiations for his own release and that of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

The State Department has not yet made that decision in Black’s case, and the process is often lengthy.

“This latest arrest will complicate my situation if this person is found to be wrongfully detained,” he told CNN, explaining that when Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner were arrested, “it complicated things.” Reed and Griner were both designated as unjustly detained by the State Department and later released in prisoner exchanges with Russia. U.S. officials said Russia declined to include Whelan in any of those exchanges.

“Unfortunately, if this gentleman is found to be wrongfully detained, that will sort of restart the negotiations for Evan and I, because then it will be all three of us. This is one of the problems we have encountered in the past. They were negotiating for me, then it was Trevor and me, then Brittney and me. And now it’s Evan and me. And every time they’ve negotiated, it’s always a fresh start when there’s another person involved. So yes, it’s a little bit concerning,” he explained.

Still, Whelan was more positive about U.S. efforts to secure his release than in his previous conversations with CNN.

In the call from his isolated prison camp in Mordovia on Wednesday, Whelan explained that in December, as the anniversary of his detention approached, “I was pretty depressed.”

“It’s been five years. Nothing seemed to be happening. The proposals made were not honored by the Russians. The Russians did not seem to make any logical proposals. And I was quite depressed because there hadn’t been enough movement and there hadn’t been enough things done. Since then, I have had several phone calls and spoken to several high-level people who have assured me that they are doing everything they can,” he said.

“I know there are negotiations underway, proposals have been made. It’s concerning that this has lasted this long, but I hope that we are close to the end, that the light at the end of the tunnel is not just another train coming my way, as I like to say. he said.

The Biden administration has presented several “significant” proposals to the Russians for Whelan. One was presented and rejected in late November in an attempt to bring home Whelan and Gershkovich, who is also named as wrongfully detained. U.S. officials have consistently said that repatriating Whelan and Gershkovich was a top priority.

“Paul has demonstrated tremendous resilience in the face of difficult circumstances,” a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday. “Russia should release him immediately.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Whelan in mid-February — at least the third time America’s top diplomat has spoken by phone with the ex-Marine. The two also spoke in August 2023 and December 2022.

“The State Department has reassured me that they are working everyone on this to the extent possible and doing everything they can to resolve this issue. That said, you know, I’ve made numerous requests to speak to the president, and I would like to speak to people at the highest level to make sure that they understand what the situation is and that, you know, I’m detained. hostage. I did not do anything. And I really need their help to solve this problem,” he explained.