Paul Whelan's sister meets the president
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The timing couldn't have been better for Elizabeth Whelan, whose brother Paul Whelan has been imprisoned by Russian authorities for more than three years on allegations of espionage.
She was in Washington, D.C., to lobby on behalf of her brother when White House officials informed her the president wanted to meet with her on Friday afternoon in the Oval Office.
She makes the hourslong journey by ferry and commuter rail to the nation's Capitol several times a year to advocate for her brother, who lived in Novi and worked for auto parts supplier BorgWarner when he was arrested in December 2018 while in Moscow for the wedding of a friend.
Russian authorities allege Paul Whelan, now 52, is a spy who was caught with a USB drive containing classified information. Whelan says the charges and his closed-door trial were a setup, and that he remains innocent.
He was convicted in a Moscow courtroom in 2020 and sentenced to serve 16 years in a prison work camp.
The U.S. government considers Whelan wrongfully detained and has been negotiating for his release along with that of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was arrested in February when authorities found a vape cartridge containing cannabis oil in her luggage at a suburban Moscow airport. She was convicted on drug charges in July and was sentenced to nine years.
In addition to meeting with Elizabeth Whelan on Friday, Biden also separately met with Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, to "reiterate his continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely," said Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, in a statement.
"The president appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Brittney and Paul from those who love them most, and acknowledged that every minute they are being held is a minute too long. ... We all admire the courage of the Whelan and Griner families in the face of these unimaginable circumstances, and we remain committed to reuniting them with their loved ones."
Elizabeth Whelan called the meeting "an exceptional honor" but told the Detroit Free Press on Saturday that she couldn't share details about what she and Biden discussed.
"The details of the meeting need to remain confidential as this is an active case," Elizabeth Whelan said. "And the outcome of any effort by the U.S. requires the active participation in a reasonable, good faith manner by the Russian authorities, which seems to be something of an issue at this time.
"I am grateful for the continual outreach and info-sharing from the White House, National Security Council, Department of State, and the office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Together with members of Congress, we will continue to fight for my brother Paul and all other Americans wrongfully detained."
In July, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the Biden administration had proposed a prisoner exchange that would trade Whelan and Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Dubbed "the Merchant of Death," Bout was convicted in 2011 on federal terrorism charges in New York. Though he denied the allegations, prosecutors said Bout was planning to sell up to $20 million in weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to shoot down U.S. helicopters. He was sentenced to 25 years in a federal prison.
Soon after, reports emerged that suggested the Russian government wasn't satisfied with the trade deal.
"There have been reports that the Russian government is concerned about the reciprocity of the offer," David Whelan, the twin brother of Paul 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."
Jean-Pierre said in a news conference late last week that U.S.-Russian negotiations remain ongoing.
"The Russians should accept our offer ... today," she said. "We will keep working diligently until the day we get to share that good news."
Elizabeth Whelan said she has "complete faith" that the Biden administration is fully engaged and using all available tools to bring her brother home.
"Now we need Russia to also engage in good faith, and free Paul Whelan," she said.
"Hostage-diplomacy is a national security as well as a humanitarian issue; when hostile foreign nations take Americans and hold them as pawns, we must work together with vigor to reunite those wrongfully detained with their families, and deter these countries from continuing this malign practice."
David Whelan said his brother has been held hostage by the Russian government for nearly 45 months, and "waits in a labor colony for the Russian government to decide if they will accept the concession offered by the U.S. government for his release."
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His brother has been able to speak daily with their parents by phone and told them Friday that he would soon be transferred from the IK-17 prison camp in the Republic of Mordovia to a prison hospital called IK-17.
"Paul did not request the medical attention nor knows what attention he will be receiving," David Whelan said.
Still, he added that his brother is likely to be reassured when he learns that Elizabeth Whelan met with the president "that his freedom, and the freedom of all Americans wrongfully detained by Russia, remains a priority for the U.S. government."
Contact Kristen Jordan Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Paul Whelan's sister meets President Biden
