According to the United States government, Paul Whelan has been wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly five years.
The Novi man was convicted of espionage in 2020 and has been sent to a prison camp in a remote part of Russia.
CNN says Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Whelan Wednesday (Aug. 16).
“Secretary Blinken has obviously sent a message, and that message is for Paul and for our family that the U.S. Government is continuing to advocate for Paul and his release,” said Paul’s brother David Whelan to CNN. “It could be 2034 before Paul’s home. I don’t have any reason to think what the U.S. Government is doing right now is going to lead to Paul’s immediate release.”
Paul was not included in earlier prisoner swaps like the one that sent WNBA star Brittney Griner home.
The State Department made an offer about eight months ago for a prisoner swap for Paul, but that has seemingly gone nowhere.
In those intervening months, a second American, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, has been unlawfully detained.
