Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen, has urged President Joe Biden to pursue every available option to secure his release from a Russian penal facility. This appeal was shared with CBS News, highlighting the ongoing concern over his detention and the steps his government might take to bring him home.
During a phone interview with a CBS News correspondent, Whelan urged Biden to act decisively. He expressed the belief that the president had previously signaled a commitment to pursuing his return and called on the administration to mobilize all necessary means to achieve this outcome.
From a prison in Russia, Whelan described Biden in stark terms, saying the president was the person who could make the decision to bring him back to the United States. The remarks reflect a long-running plea for intervention at the highest levels of government as diplomatic efforts continue.
Whelan, an American convicted of espionage in Russia, has shared that he feels betrayed by the country’s authorities and that U.S. officials have not yet been able to secure his release despite ongoing discussions and efforts. His case has drawn sustained attention in coverage of U.S.-Russia relations and detainee diplomacy.
Whelan has been detained in Moscow since 2018. In 2020, the Moscow City Court sentenced him to a 16-year term in a maximum security penal colony under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code, which concerns espionage. He was subsequently transferred to a penal facility in Mordovia to serve his sentence as part of Russia’s system of regional colonies.
Past statements from Biden have, at times, raised questions about the constitutional scope of executive actions in such cases. Critics have pointed to the need for careful constitutional prudence during negotiations that involve the transfer or release of detainees held abroad.