Washington DC [US], December 15 (ANI): The United States said that it wants Russia to negotiate in “good faith” regarding the release of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and American Paul Whelan, adding that Washington would welcome serious engagement with Moscow.
US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said on Thursday (local time) that multiple offers have been made by the US side including a ‘significant’ one last week, but every offer has been rejected.
Addressing the daily state briefing, Miller said, “We have put multiple offers on the table. There is one significant offer that we made as recently, a few weeks ago. We have seen those offers rejected every time by the Russian government. So we would welcome them in negotiating in good faith, and we would welcome them engaging seriously with us to obtain the release of Evan Gerskovich and Paul Walen”.
“But, so far we have seen them refuse to take us up on proposals and we hope that they will change this how they have handled this, going forward,” he added.
This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin, earlier in the day, said that dialogue over the detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is “ongoing”, but that it is “not easy”.
“We have contacts with American partners on this matter. A dialogue is ongoing. It is not easy; I won’t go into details now, but overall, it seems to me that we are speaking a language understandable to each other,” Putin said at a press conference.
“I hope that we will find a solution. But I repeat that the American side must hear us and make a certain decision — one that suits the Russian side as well,” he added.
Gershkovich was arrested in March while on a reporting trip in Russia. The FSB, Russia’s main security service, accused him of trying to obtain state secrets – a charge Gershkovich, his employer and the US government have strenuously denied, CNN reported.
Notably, if Gershkovich is convicted, he can face up to 20 years in prison.
On the other hand, Whelan is a US citizen and former Marine, who was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and arrested on espionage charges, which he has consistently and vehemently denied.
Last month, Whelan alleged in an audio message that he was assaulted by a fellow prisoner.
So far, the Biden administration’s efforts to secure his release have not yet yielded results. The White House offered to trade a large number of Russian nationals detained on espionage charges abroad in exchange for the release of Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, but the offer was not accepted, CNN reported citing people familiar with the matter.
Earlier this week, a Moscow court upheld a ruling that he must remain in detention until January 30.
The initial ruling last month was criticized by the US Embassy in Moscow, which said it was “deeply concerned” by the decision.
Upon his arrest, the US State Department officially declared Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained” by Russia. “Journalism is not a crime. We condemn the Kremlin’s continued repression of independent voices in Russia, and its ongoing war against the truth, CNN reported. (ANI)
