Biden 'is not going to let up' in trying to free Paul Whelan, Brittney Griner

The aim of President Joe Biden's meeting Friday with Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of Michigan businessman Paul Whelan, and Cherelle Griner, the wife of WNBA star Brittney Griner, is to reassure them that the U.S. government hasn't given up on working to negotiate their freedom from Russia, where they both are imprisoned.

"The president is not going to let up," said John Kirby, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, during a Friday afternoon press briefing. "This is going to remain at the forefront of his mind and his team's mind and they're going to continue to work this as hard as they can. We want these two individuals home, back where they belong with their families. They should be there already."

David Whelan, Paul's brother, told the Free Press late Thursday that his sister's meeting with Biden "is a kindness to our family."

"I don't think it means anything has changed in regard to Paul's freedom," he said. "It reflects President Biden's continued concern about Paul's case."

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16 years in a Russian labor camp

Paul Whelan, 52, lived in Novi and worked as head of global security for Auburn Hills-based auto supplier BorgWarner before his arrest in Moscow.

In December 2018, Whelan said he traveled to Russia to attend the wedding of a friend. Russian authorities, however, allege he was caught with a USB drive containing classified information. They charged him with espionage.

Though Whelan denied the charges, he was convicted of spying in a closed-door trial in June 2020 and sentenced to serve 16 years in a Russian labor camp.

Griner was arrested in February at an airport in a suburb of Moscow. She was traveling to Russia in the WNBA's off-season to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Premier League when authorities found a vape cartridge containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in July and was sentenced to nine years.

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'Merchant of Death'

As part of the negotiations, the U.S. government announced in July that it had offered to trade Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Whelan and Griner.

Dubbed "the Merchant of Death," Bout was convicted in 2011 in a New York federal court on charges of terrorism. Though he denied the allegations, prosecutors said Bout was planning to sell up to $20 million in weapons, including surface-to-air missiles to Colombian guerrillas to shoot down U.S. helicopters. He was sentenced to 25 years in a federal prison.

Soon after the U.S. offer this summer, reports emerged that suggested Russian leaders were not satisfied with the trade deal.

"There have been reports that the Russian government is concerned about the reciprocity of the offer," David Whelan told journalists in an email message at the time. "This might mean that they seek an additional concession from the U.S. government. Or it might mean they are willing to relinquish one fewer concession themselves."

Kirby said Friday that discussions with Russian leaders continue.

"They have not responded to our offer," Kirby said. "We have made a serious offer to get Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan back home. Russians have not responded to that offer. But that doesn't mean that the we're not still in negotiations and we're not still trying.

"The president felt it was important to continue the dialogue with the family members. That's happening today. We have stayed in touch with them throughout. We have kept them informed throughout."

'We made a serious offer. We want them to accept it.'

When asked why the Russian government isn't responding to the proposal, Kirby said: "If we had the answer to that question, we might already have a deal. I think that's a better question put to our Russian colleagues.

"We made a serious offer. We want them to accept it. Frankly, these two individuals ought to be home anyway, period. But we understand … that's probably going to have to be the result of the negotiating process − one that we're willing to participate in honestly and fully. And we've been doing that we await them to take the offer that's on the table."

Another American, former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, was freed from a Russian prison camp after more than two years of imprisonment in April, when the Biden administration brokered an exchange that included convicted Russian drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko.

But that deal left Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia for more than three years, behind at the IK-17 prison camp in the Republic of Mordovia, about an eight-hour drive southeast of Moscow.

Reed's release came about a month after Biden met with Reed's parents.

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When asked Friday whether Biden's meeting with Elizabeth Whelan and Cherelle Griner could be an effort to pressure Russia to speed up the negotiations, Kirby said only this: "The primary goal of the meetings today is to be able to update the families and keep them completely apprised of where we are in the process and to make clear to them just how much of a priority it is for President Biden and his whole team to get them home. That's the focus for today."

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Waterford, issued a statement Friday, saying: “This level of recognition from the White House meets the moment that we are in. Paul has already had nearly four years stolen from him, and Brittney has had almost seven months stolen from her. They do not deserve to spend another minute used as political pawns and must be reunited with their loved ones immediately.

“This administration and the Congress are firm in our resolve – we will not relent until Russia gives up their inhumane games and returns Paul and Brittney home.”

Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Biden 'is not going to let up' on securing Whelan's, Griner's freedom