Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia, spoke to Secretary of State Antony Blinken by phone from a remote prison camp in Russia, sources confirmed to ABC News.
Blinken also revealed in March that the Biden administration had made a "serious proposal" to Russia for Whelan's release. But sources say that Moscow has yet to engage in any serious negotiations. The Biden administration also attempted to bring Whelan home in negotiations that ultimately led to two separate prisoner swaps in 2018.
One exchange saw the U.S. free Konstantin Yaroshenko, a convicted drug smuggler, for former Marine Trevor Reed. In the second, the Biden administration traded Viktor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer, for WNBA star Brittney Griner. In both deals, U.S. officials say they were forced to leave Whelan out of the agreement in order to free the other detainee.and concern that the U.S. will again choose to free another American detainee instead of him, according to his family. In April, Whelan told CNN in a phone interview that he had received assurances that he would not be left behind. "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," Whelan said at the time, according to CNN. "I feel that my life shouldn't be considered less valuable or important than others who have been previously traded." Whelan is currently serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges he and the American government say are fabricated.by a Russian court in June of 2020 and transferred to Mordovia, a region about 300 miles east of Moscow known for its network of prisons, where he remains to this day.Related Topics
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