American citizen Paul Whelan called CNN on Sunday from the Russian prison in which he's being wrongfully detained and told the network he's more confident in Biden administration efforts to secure his release than he was in December when basketball star Brittney Griner was set free.
Whelan says he's more confident about getting home after the Russians wrongfully detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich.
"I have been told that I won't be left behind, and I have been told that although Evan's case is a priority, mine is also a priority, and people are cognizant of the fact that this is having an extremely negative impact on me and my family," Whelan told CNN from a prison camp in remote Mordovia.
"And I'm told that the government is working tirelessly to get me out of here and to get me home so they can then focus effort on Evan and his case."
Whelan, a corporate official, was arrested in Russia in December 2018 on espionage charges. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020.
"I feel that my life shouldn't be considered less valuable or important than others who have been previously traded," he told CNN. "And I think there are people in D.C. that feel the same way, and they're moving towards a compromise and resolution to this as quickly as they can."
The Canadian-born former U.S. Marine told CNN that his current situation is "depressing."
"There will be an end to this, and I hope it's coming sooner than later, but it is depressing on a daily basis going through this," Whelan told CNN, adding he has "the usual aches and pains of forced labor … and poor living conditions.
"That's a daily reminder of where I am and how long I've been here."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the U.S. has put forward a "serious proposal" to secure Whelan's release.
"I remain positive and confident on a daily basis that the wheels are turning. I just wish they would turn a little bit more quickly," Whelan told CNN.
Whelan said his hope of release have been bolstered after seeing public messages from President Joe Biden, and from his sister Elizabeth Whelan's presence at a United Nations Security Council meeting chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"I will say that the comments President Biden made at the press corps dinner [White House Correspondents' Dinner] were very, very encouraging," he told CNN.
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