President Biden mentioned on Thursday that he was “serious” about negotiating a prisoner change to free Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter that the United States has declared “wrongfully detained” in Russia.
“I’m serious about doing all we can to free Americans who are being illegally held in Russia — or anywhere else, for that matter,” he mentioned. “And that process is underway.”
Mr. Biden addressed Mr. Gershkovich’s state of affairs in a news convention with the Finnish president, Sauli Niinisto, in Helsinki.
Last week, President Biden’s nationwide safety adviser, Jake Sullivan, confirmed that the United States was in talks with Russia a couple of potential swap however cautioned that the discussions had not but produced “a clear pathway to a resolution.” That got here after the Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov had mentioned that the 2 nations had been involved about the opportunity of a swap.
Mr. Gershkovich, 31, has been held at Moscow’s high-security Lefortovo Prison since late March on espionage prices. The United States and The Wall Street Journal have vehemently denied the accusations, calling the allegations false.
The journalist, who has been primarily based in Russia for nearly six years, was detained on March 29 throughout a reporting journey to the central Russian metropolis of Yekaterinburg. If convicted, he might face 20 years in a penal colony. Russian prosecutors to this point have provided no proof supporting the accusations.
The United States considers Mr. Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a former Marine serving a 16-year sentence after being convicted in 2020 of spying, to be “wrongfully detained” — the equal of being political hostages.
“Our message to Evan and to Paul is this: ‘Keep the faith. We won’t stop until you are home,’” the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, advised reporters final Friday, when Mr. Gershkovich’s imprisonment accomplished 100 days.
Mr. Sullivan, the nationwide safety adviser, met the Gershkovich household that day and mentioned the United States would “do everything possible to bring him home.”
In a short assertion, Mr. Gershkovich’s household mentioned the assist he had acquired from world wide had been “overwhelming.” “Every day that Evan isn’t home is another day too many,” the household mentioned.
Earlier this month, Lynne M. Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Russia. visited Mr. Gershkovich on the jail and mentioned that he was in “good health” and remained “strong, despite his circumstances.”
Source: www.nytimes.com