(NewsNation) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Blinken called for the immediate release of journalist Evan Gershkovich, as well as Paul Whelan.
Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was recently detained in Russia on espionage charges. Attorneys representing Gershkovich have appealed his arrest.
David Whelan’s brother Paul, meanwhile, is still in Russia’s custody after more than 1,500 days.
Whelan, 53, is a former U.S. Marine who was arrested at a Moscow hotel in 2018. Russia insists that Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive, is a spy. Whelan has denied their claims; his family says he was in Russia for a wedding.
Whelan received a 16-year prison sentence in Russia on espionage charges that the U.S. has called politically motivated.
David is concerned that the U.S. is not doing enough to deter wrongful detention of its citizens in Russia.
“I think we’d hoped that maybe Paul would be one of the last people that it had it happened to, but obviously, the Kremlin is continuing to do it,” David told “On Balance” host Leland Vittert.
David does believe the U.S. government has stepped up recently and taken a much more aggressive stance on engaging in wrongful detentions with attempts to bring Americans home.
“I think we’re hopeful that they will come up with some other creative solutions, but it still may not be enough. They still need to get ahead of the game. I think the Kremlin is still ahead. They are willing to do things the U.S. government isn’t willing to do,” David said.
As for Gershkovich’s case, David said he thinks the journalist’s family has reached out and possibly spoken with his sister. He hopes that Gershkovich will stay strong.
“I think if he has to go through what Paul has gone through, and if his family has to go through what our family has gone through, they’ve got at least 18 months of hearings and time wasted,” David said. “I hope he is resilient.”