Relatives of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine jailed in Russia, reacted optimistically to President-elect Joseph R. Biden being congratulated Tuesday by his future counterpart in the Kremlin.
Two weeks until the second anniversary of Mr. Whelan’s arrest in Moscow, his sibling said their family was hopeful for his release after hearing Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Mr. Biden.
“President Putin’s call for cooperation based on equality and mutual respect gives us hope,” Mr. Whelan’s twin brother David said in the statement.
“Perhaps the State Department will finally be able to have conversations with their Russian peers about Paul’s case,” he added.
Paul Whelan, 50, was arrested in Moscow on Dec. 28, 2018, and subsequently accused of espionage. He adamantly denied spying but was convicted during a closed-door trial and sent to a Russian labor camp.
Russian authorities maintain Mr. Whelan was caught red-handed, but the former Marine from Novi, Michigan, and his advocates insist he was set-up and wrongly subjected to a bogus show trial.
State media reported earlier Tuesday that Mr. Putin sent a notice of congratulations to Mr. Biden in light of the latter having his election cemented Monday by the Electoral College.
“I am ready for collaboration and contacts with you,” Mr. Putin told Mr. Biden, Russian state media reported.
Mr. Whelan was sentenced in June to serve a 16-year prison sentence, although he recently said in his first interview since then that he does not think he will remain incarcerated much longer.
“I think it’s a bit of an embarrassment for the Russian government because they’ve by now figured out that they’ve made a mistake,” he told ABC recently. “I don’t think this is a situation they want going longer than it needs to.”
David Whelan hopes his twin brother is right.
“Our elderly parents have each just had their second birthday since Paul was wrongfully detained and are now both in their 80s. Paul has lost two years of Christmases, birthdays and time spent with our parents in their final years. We hope that a third year will not pass before Paul is free and home,” he said in the statement.
Mr. Biden’s presidential transition team did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment. He is slated to be sworn in on Jan. 20.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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