(WXYZ) — David Whelan, brother of Novi, Michigan native Paul Whelan, says the family is "cautiously optimistic" that the Russians will take a prisoner swap offered by the U.S. government for his brother and WNBA star Brittney Griner.
The potential swap was announced Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who revealed the U.S. has been working on it for weeks.
Paul Whelan was convicted of espionage and detained in Russia 3 years and 7 months ago after a Russian friend planted a USB on Whelan when visiting the country.
His journey to a possible release has been a long one full of many ups and downs, but at the time of our interview, David said Paul likely still isn't aware of this potential deal.
Usually, Paul is able to talk to his parents daily on the phone, but he told his brother David that recently things have gotten worse in prison and he's lost 20% of his weight since being arrested.
"Food rations have been cut back so they’re getting less food, the food was never very good, to begin with, so we're obviously worried about malnutrition and things," said David. "He said that the clocks, the wall clocks, and watches have been taken away so there are no timepieces in the prison any longer. So we’re not sure if that impacted his ability to call since he’s only able to call at certain times of day. It’s a very strange and not positive experience that seems to be getting worse."
Fear and hope for Paul's release have possibly never been this high.
The White House has not confirmed, but it's been speculated that the exchange offer is Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Paul and Griner.
"Perhaps the most extraordinary part is that the Secretary of State said out loud that they made an offer and it hasn’t already been accepted," said David. "It’s a real risk. It’s quite a gamble for them to make that and expect that the Russians will respond."
Secretary Blinken is expected to meet with the Russian Foreign Minister this week and he says he will bring up the exchange deal once again.
"I think it’s the clearest indication that the U.S. government is taking concrete action," said David. "So from that perspective, yes. I think we may be a little more hopeful that something is going to come of it. Or we may be more publicly disappointed than we have been in the past."
