Antony Blinken confirms he spoke with imprisoned Paul Whelan

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday confirmed that he had spoken with Paul Whelan, who has been in Russian custody for more than five years.

Whelan was left out of a prisoner exchange in 2022 in which the Biden administration traded WNBA star Brittney Griner for arms dealer Viktor Bout, a development that prompted considerable outrage from Republicans.

"Our intensive efforts to bring Paul home continue every single day. And they will until he and [Wall Street Journal reporter] Evan Gershkovich and every other American wrongfully detained [are] back with their loved ones," Blinken said, according to Politico. Blinken spoke to Whelan via phone and did not elaborate on the conversation.

Whelan was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. In December of last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed openness to additional prisoner swaps, including for Whelan and Gershkovich, but made no firm commitments.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.