Biden calls for release of WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich

President also mocks Trump at annual Washington dinner celebrating press freedom.

US journalist Evan Gershkovich in a Moscow courtroom. Picture: AFP

For the second year in a row, President Biden called on Vladimir Putin to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from a Russian jail during a black-tie gala Saturday evening in Washington that celebrates press freedom.

“Putin should release Evan,” he said at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. “We are doing everything we can.” The Wall Street Journal reporter, 32 years old, was detained March 29, 2023, by security services and is being held in Russia on an allegation of espionage that he, the Journal and the US government vehemently deny.

Gershkovich’s family attended the annual dinner as Journal guests and Kelly O’Donnell of NBC News, the association’s president, recognised them in her remarks. “We are with you, always,” she said as they received a standing ovation.

Biden also called for the release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine and corporate-security executive who is serving a 16-year sentence on an espionage charge that he and the U.S. government deny. “We’re not going to give up until we get them home,” he said.

The gathering, a century-old tradition that drew more than 2,000 attendees to the Washington Hilton, included members of the media, administration officials, members of Congress, celebrities and campaign operatives. Biden attended with Vice President Kamala Harris as well as their spouses.

Members of The Wall Street Journal hold a sign reading ‘Free Evan’ as they arrive for the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington. Picture: AFP

Outside the dinner, a group protested the treatment of Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war, part of the protests sweeping across US cities and college campuses.

The 81-year-old Democratic president made fun of his own age while also taking some shots at former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

“Yes, age is an issue,” Biden said. “I’m a grown man running against a 6-year-old.” Comedian Colin Jost, a co-anchor of the Weekend Update segment of “Saturday Night Live,” roasted the president, Trump and the media. “It’s after 10pm, Sleepy Joe is still awake,” Jost said, using a nickname Trump has used for Biden.

Both Jost and Biden made references to Trump, 77, appearing to nod off at times during his hush-money trial in Manhattan in recent days.

“Sleepy Don,” Biden said. “I kind of like that. I may use that again.” The president also joked that Harris continues to support him, unlike former Vice President Mike Pence’s decision not to endorse Trump in the 2024 election.

A Trump campaign spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gershkovich, who spoke Russian at home with his family, moved to Russia as a journalist in 2017 and joined the Journal in January 2022. He is the first American journalist to be held in Russia on an allegation of espionage since the end of the Cold War. The State Department has said he isn’t a spy and has never worked for the government.

On Tuesday, a Moscow court rejected an appeal by Gershkovich against his detention, meaning the US citizen will remain behind bars until at least June 30. Smiling at times and talking with his lawyers, Gershkovich appeared in a see-through defendant’s box in the courtroom wearing jeans and a plaid shirt.

“It continues to be outrageous that Evan has been wrongfully detained by the Russian government for more than a year,” the Journal said after the ruling. “Evan’s freedom is long overdue, and we urge the administration to do everything in their power to secure his release.” Earlier this month, Roger Carstens, a US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, said a new proposal to Moscow was in the works to secure the release of Gershkovich and Whelan.

Sabrina Siddiqui and Annie Linskey contributed to this article.

The Wall Street Journal