Whatever happened to…Americans detained in Russia?

By the end of 2024, Paul Whelan will mark six years in Russian Prison. One month before that, is the November Presidential Election. Experts familiar with the negotiations say, there could be a window of opportunity to free Whelan, shortly after the election.

"I think the door will open again to do the negotiations," said Mickey Bergman, Vice President of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement. "I just wish we didn't have to wait, because for us, it’s a few more months. For the prisoners, every day is a day that they might die."

Bergman has worked on negotiations to free Americans held overseas for the last decade, including those in Russia. He worked alongside former Ambassador to the UN and former democratic New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Bergman now directs Global Reach for the Richardson Center for Global Engagement. He believes recent arrests of U.S. citizens could be a response to failed efforts to release Paul Whelan.

MICKEY BERGMAN SHARES AN INSIDE LOOK AT HIGH-STAKES NEGOTIATIONS TO FREE CAPTURED AMERICANS

"The case of Russia is fascinating. They took Paul Whelan, they wanted to do a certain deal. We refused to negotiate, so they took Trevor Reed. We still refused to negotiate, they took Brittney Griner," Bergman said.

Whelan was arrested in December 2018. He was visiting Russia for a friend’s wedding when he suddenly disappeared. Three days later, Russia’s government announced his arrest on espionage charges.

"We've made clear to the Russians our expectation that we will learn more about the charges, come to understand what it is he's been accused of and if the detention is not appropriate we will demand his immediate return," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the time.

Whelan was a corporate security