In what is being hailed as a “victory for diplomacy,” the reported release of Michigan native Paul Whelan and reporter Evan Gershkovich of the Wall Street Journal as part of a multi-country deal currently underway is “tremendous news,” according to U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin.
Whelan was arrested in Russia on Dec. 28, 2018, accused of spying. Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service on charges of espionage in March 2023
“They and their families have suffered horribly,” Slotkin said in a release. “Now they will be reunited thanks to determined diplomacy by the Biden team of negotiators and the advocacy of Rep. Haley Stevens and others in Congress.”
The two men have been wrongfully detained by Russia on unfounded espionage charges. Slotkin has long advocated for Whelan’s safe return home alongside other members of the Michigan delegation. Slotkin expressed special appreciation to Whelan’s family members, who “refused to let him be forgotten, and were relentless in the visits and calls with officials in Washington to keep hope alive for Paul.”
Slotkin also cautioned that while the news today is happy, the U.S. faces a “dangerous and unprincipled adversary” in Vladimir Putin.
“He uses innocent Americans as pawns,” Slotkin said. “Those who want to cozy up to him, or simply turn a blind eye to his demands in Ukraine, would do well to remember the suffering of Paul, the Whelan family, and the millions of Ukrainians living with the consequences of Putin’s actions.”
