Putin says Russia wants to reach agreement on return of WSJ’s Evan Gershkovich
The Russian president says he hopes to ‘find a solution’ regarding Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, who are both in Russian custody.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia wants “to reach an agreement” on the return of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is currently in Russian custody on an allegation of espionage that he, the Journal and the U.S. government vehemently deny.
During a press conference Thursday, Putin was asked about the recent declaration by the Biden administration that the Russian government rejected a new offer aimed at freeing the American reporter, as well as former U.S. Marine and Michigan corporate-security executive Paul Whelan, who is also in Russian custody.
“It is not that we have refused to return them,” said the Russian president. “We want to reach an agreement, and these agreements must be mutually acceptable and must suit both sides. We have contacts with our American partners in this regard, and there is an ongoing dialogue.” In his first public comments about Gershkovich, Putin added that, “It is not easy. I will not go into details, but in general it seems to me that we are speaking a language that we both understand. I hope that we will find a solution.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington Thursday that “if Vladimir Putin is serious about this, all he has to do is look at the proposals that we have made to secure their release, which were significant proposals that were made in good faith and, I think, showed the willingness and the determination of the United States to bring both Paul and Evan home.” “We very much want a deal,” he said.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, detained Gershkovich, who was accredited to work as a journalist by Russia’s Foreign Ministry, on March 29 while he was on a reporting assignment in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. The 32-year-old reporter has been held in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison ever since.
Whelan, an American citizen, is serving a 16-year sentence on an espionage conviction that he, his family and the U.S. say is bogus.
A Russian court upheld Gershkovich’s detention on Thursday, a ruling that means the Journal reporter will remain in custody through January.
Gershkovich appeared in court for the appeal of last month’s ruling that extended his detention at the request of investigators from the FSB. The rejection of that appeal Thursday keeps him behind bars awaiting trial until Jan. 30, which will mark 10 months since his arrest.
Last week, President Biden pledged to continue pressing for Gershkovich’s release, days after the Biden administration revealed that Moscow rejected an offer aimed at freeing Gershkovich and Whelan.
“Evan Gershkovich appeared in a Moscow City court today, where an appeal of the recent extension of his pre-trial detention was denied once again, ” the Journal said in a statement. “While we expected this outcome, it’s important that we appeal these rulings to call out the absurd nature of the charge. Evan has been wrongfully detained for more than 250 days for simply doing his job as a journalist, and any portrayal to the contrary is fiction. We will stand with Evan and his family for as long as it takes and continue to demand his immediate release.” The offer for the detained Americans involved trading prisoners, people familiar with the matter said, without elaborating.
Neither the U.S. Embassy in Moscow nor the State Department immediately responded to a request for comment on Putin’s remarks on Thursday.
U.S. officials have said they are engaging with officials in countries holding Russian citizens in custody and are open to incorporating those prisoners in a deal to free Gershkovich and other Americans detained in Russia.
In his remarks Thursday, Putin said that “the American side must hear us and make an appropriate decision — one that suits the Russian side as well.” In Gershkovich’s case, Russian officials have hinted at the possibility of a deal but said that any consideration of such a swap must wait until the conclusion of a trial. It couldn’t be determined when Gershkovich might face trial, but experts familiar with Russia’s legal system said it could take many months.
Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be charged with espionage in Russia since the end of the Cold War. Earlier this year, the U.S. government classified him as wrongfully detained and has demanded his immediate release. The designation unlocks a broad U.S. government effort to secure his release.
The U.S. has also designated Whelan as wrongfully detained.
Gershkovich’s initial pre-trial detention was set to expire on May 29 but has been repeatedly extended. Russian authorities haven’t publicly provided evidence to support the allegation against him.
The Moscow City Court has denied previous appeals by Gershkovich’s lawyers, including a request that he be transferred to house arrest, agree to constraints on his movements or be granted bail.
“Evan’s ordeal has now stretched on for over 250 days,” said Lynne Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, speaking outside the court. “The U.S. government will continue to advocate for Evan’s immediate release and the release of all wrongfully detained American citizens overseas.” The U.S. government also has expressed concern for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual Russian-U. S. citizen prevented from leaving Russia since June and now in pre-trial detention facing a charge that she failed to register as a foreign agent.
On Wednesday, RFE said Russian authorities had opened a new criminal case against Kurmasheva on an allegation that she spread false information about Russia’s military.
The State Department has been reviewing Kurmasheva’s situation but hasn’t reached a decision on whether it meets the criteria to be deemed a wrongful detention.
Her supporters believe she has been targeted because of her U.S. citizenship and her profession, caught up in the increasingly hostile relationship between Russia and the U.S., which has accused Moscow of detaining American citizens for geopolitical gain.
—Louise Radnofsky and William Mauldin contributed to this article.
The Wall Street Journal
