The Biden administration’s decision to trade a convicted Russian arms dealer serving a long prison sentence for WNBA superstar Brittney Griner is a “catastrophe” for fellow wrongfully detained American Paul Whelan, according to his brother.
David Whelan released a lengthy statement on Thursday morning, shortly after news of Griner’s release became public, in which he celebrated her return but lamented what it meant for his brother Paul.
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“I am so glad that Brittney Griner is on her way home,” he wrote. “As the family member of a Russian hostage, I can literally only imagine the joy she will have, being reunited with her loved ones, and in time for the holidays. There is no greater success than for a wrongful detainee to be freed and for them to go home. The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen.”
Paul Whelan told CNN that he was “greatly disappointed” in the administration following the deal, though he said he was happy for Griner.
“I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release, especially as the four year anniversary of my arrest is coming up. I was arrested for a crime that never occurred,” he said in a phone call from the penal colony where he is being held in a remote part of Russia. “I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”
He said he “was led to believe that things were moving in the right direction and that the governments were negotiating and that something would happen fairly soon.”
But that doesn’t change that Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence on espionage charges he vehemently denies, is still in a Russian prison, and now, the U.S. lacks a bargaining chip that it previously hoped would be available to secure his release as well as Griner’s.
A senior U.S. government official visited Whelan’s sister Elizabeth on Wednesday, and another spoke with Paul Whelan from prison to discuss Griner’s release, according to a senior administration official, who also said the Kremlin has treated Whelan’s case differently than others, possibly because he was tried for espionage.
“Through every step of the process to secure Brittney’s release, we as a government have sought to bring Paul Whelan home as well. We did so in good faith with the Russians and proposed multiple different options,” the official said. “Regrettably, due to the nature of the sham espionage charges Russia levied against Paul, the Russians have treated [and] continue to treat his situation differently from Brittany’s and rejected each and every one of our proposals for his release.”
This was not a situation in which Biden picked Griner over Whelan, the official explained, noting that “we explored a wide range of alternatives and permutations that we felt were, frankly, quite generous in resolving both cases” but were left with the choice of getting Griner back or nothing at all.
The administration tipped off the Whelan family on Wednesday that Griner would be returning and Whelan wouldn’t be. It helped soften their disappointment this morning, David Whelan wrote.
“That early warning meant that our family has been able to mentally prepare for what is now a public disappointment for us,” David Whelan wrote. “And a catastrophe for Paul. I do not know if he is aware yet, although he will surely learn from Russian media.”
The last time the administration engaged in a prisoner swap last spring, it did not warn the family.
In the spring, Russia and the U.S. agreed to swap Trevor Reed, a former Marine the administration also considered wrongfully detained, for Russian drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko.
“The sentiments I shared in April about Trevor are unchanged: this is the event we wish for so much for our own family. She will be reunited with her family. Brittney is free. And Paul is still a hostage,” David Whelan explained. “But how many more times do I need to write that? At some level, our family has steeled ourselves for this likelihood.”
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Secretary Antony Blinken said in a statement that the Kremlin was “unwilling” to release Whelan.
“While we celebrate Brittney’s release, Paul Whelan and his family continue to suffer needlessly,” he said. “Despite our ceaseless efforts, the Russian Government has not yet been willing to bring a long overdue end to his wrongful detention. I wholeheartedly wish we could have brought Paul home today on the same plane with Brittney. Nevertheless, we will not relent in our efforts to bring Paul and all other U.S. nationals held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad home to their loved ones where they belong.”
