Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia, expressed renewed optimism about US efforts to secure his release in a call with CNN on Wednesday, but acknowledged “a bit of a concern” that the recent arrest of a US soldier in Russia could complicate matters.
Whelan, who has been detained more than five years in Russia and is designated as wrongfully detained by the US State Department, said he was “broadly” aware of the arrest after being informed by his parents but did not know any details.
US Staff Sgt. Gordon Black traveled to Russia without permission from the US military to visit his girlfriend, his mother said. He was arrested in the far-eastern city of Vladivostok last week on charges of theft. A court ordered him to remain in pre-trial detention until July 2. The US has not been granted consular access to see him.
Whelan said that he had “a bit of a concern” that if Black were designated as wrongfully detained, it could set back negotiations for his own release and that of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
The State Department has not yet made that determination in Black’s case, and it is often a lengthy process.
“This latest arrest will complicate my situation if that person is declared wrongfully detained,” he told CNN, explaining that when Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner were arrested, “that complicated things.” Reed and Griner were both designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department and later freed in prisoner swaps with Russia. US officials said that Russia refused to include Whelan in either of those swaps.
