People.com Entertainment Sports Paul Whelan's Family Given 'Little Bit of Hope' by Offer of Brittney Griner Prisoner Swap Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that a "substantial" deal has been offered to Russia in order to secure the release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan By Alexandra Schonfeld Alexandra Schonfeld Twitter Digital News Writer, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 28, 2022 12:22 PM Share Tweet Pin Email From left: David Whelan and Paul Whelan . Photo: GMA/Twitter; KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty The family of Russian detainee Paul Whelan has been given "a little bit of hope" by Wednesday's announcement that he's included in the Biden administration's attempts to bring Brittney Griner home. In an interview with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts Thursday morning, Paul's twin brother David Whelan spoke about the family's reaction to news that the Biden administration had offered a "substantial" deal to Russia to secure the release of their relative and the WNBA star. "The offer that the U.S. government has made and, extraordinarily, made public, is super," said David, Thursday. "Hopefully, the Russian government will take the concessions that have been made and allow Paul to come home." David added that while his family is in regular contact with the State Department and National Security Council, they hadn't expected Wednesday's announcement. "I think we were all taken by surprise yesterday when the announcement was made and it's nice also to know that the offers are being made," he said. "Perhaps this is the only one that's been made public but there may have been other offers made in the past by the U.S. government." Brittney Griner Says She 'Had No Intention to Break the Law' While Testifying in Russian Court A representative from the White House confirmed to PEOPLE Wednesday that the Biden administration had "made a substantial proposal to bring Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home weeks ago." David Whelan. GMA/Twitter David said the attention from Griner's case had "absolutely" been helpful in shining a light on his brother's detainment too. "Ms. Griner, her supporters, her advocacy on her own behalf, her supporters' advocacy, has been very gracious in including Paul's case and calling for both Ms. Griner and Paul's freedom," he told GMA Thursday. "It's been a huge help for someone like Paul who doesn't have the same celebrity." David added that his brother had lost "about 20% of his weight" since he was first detained in December 2018 and is supplementing his prison meals with quarterly packages sent by his family that included dried fruit and nuts. While he admitted that he had not personally spoken to his twin since October 2018, his parents continued to speak to him "on a pretty regular basis," he added. "We know that he is not being given proper nutrition because that's the normal diet in a Russian prison," he told GMA, adding that he believed Paul's "kindness" is what got him "into trouble." Brittney Griner. Christian Petersen/Getty "He went to Russia to help a fellow Marine who was getting married there and then was entrapped by another friend," David explained. "So, unfortunately, his friendships and his kindness have in some way contributed to this problem." According to CNN, Paul has been held in Russia since 2018 for alleged espionage. News of his arrest broke on New Year's Eve 2018 when Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it had detained the Michigan resident during a "spy mission". However, a U.S. government security source told PEOPLE at the time that Paul is not a secret agent for the United States. Citing sources, CNN also reported Wednesday that the White House offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for a Russian prisoner in the United States, Viktor Bout, who was convicted for arms trafficking and is currently serving 25 years. Sources told CNN that this plan to swap prisoners was backed by President Joe Biden after being under discussion earlier in the year. With Biden's support, the plan overrides the Department of Justice, which holds a firm stance against prisoner trades. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the White House has been in negotiations with Russia on the potential exchange for weeks, and that he intends to discuss the matter further on a call with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Trevor Reed Says White House 'Has Ability to' Bring Brittney Griner Home: 'They've Clearly Chosen Not to' The announcement was the first time a White House official has confirmed negotiations to bring Griner home from Russia, since she was detained on Feb. 17. "This is hopeful news for both of our fellow Americans, but I feel a need to temper any optimism with caution given the many unpredictable variables of these negotiations," sports journalist Tamryn Spruill, who started the Change.org petition to bring Brittney home, said in a statement Thursday."For me, it has always been about bringing both BG (Brittney Griner) and Whelan home," she added "I remember learning of his detention, and it has always weighed on me. "I always hoped that our government would strive to get both BG and Whelan back to their families," she continued. "I am proud that the Biden Administration made a deal for both of them. It was the right thing to do."