President Joe Biden has said he is “serious” about pursuing a prisoner exchange to help free a Wall Street Journal reporter who has been detained in Russia for more than 100 days.
The Kremlin earlier this month suggested it was open to a possible prisoner exchange that could involve Evan Gershkovich, but it stressed that such talks must be held out of the public eye.
Speaking at a news conference in Helsinki, Finland, on Thursday, Mr Biden made clear that the US is interested.
“I’m serious on a prisoner exchange,” said the US president, who was concluding a five-day visit to Europe that took him to the UK, Lithuania and Finland.
“And I’m serious about doing all we can to free Americans being illegally held in Russia or anywhere else for that matter, and that process is underway.”
Mr Gershkovich, a 31-year-old American citizen, was arrested on espionage charges at a restaurant in the city of Yekaterinburg on March 30 by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
The FSB said it had opened a case against him for collecting what it said were state secrets about a military-industrial complex.
He is being held at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions. A Moscow court recently upheld a ruling to keep him in custody until August 30.
Mr Gershkovich and his employer deny the allegations, and the US government has declared him to be wrongfully detained.
Mr Gershkovich is an experienced reporter on Russian issues, and was working in the city of Yekaterinburg at the time of his detention. He is well-known among foreign correspondents in Moscow. BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg described him as an excellent reporter and a highly principled journalist.
His arrest rattled journalists in Russia, where authorities have not provided any evidence to support the espionage charges.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed last week there have been “discussions” between the two sides, but said there is not yet “a clear pathway” to winning Mr Gershkovich’s freedom.
Mr Gershkovich is the first American reporter to face espionage charges in Russia since September 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for US News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB. Mr Daniloff was released 20 days later in a swap for an employee of the Soviet Union’s UN mission who was arrested by the FBI, also on spying charges.
In Washington, the Wall Street Journal and Mr Gershkovich’s family have sought to keep the spotlight on his detention.
At a National Press Club event on Thursday, the reporter’s sister, Danielle, described the emotional toll from her brother’s captivity. “I just try to take it day-by-day,” she said. “It still feels unreal sometimes. For my parents, it’s a full-time job.”
The Wall Street Journal has said it stands in solidarity with Mr Gershkovich and his family. “The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” it said.
The White House has condemned his detention “in the strongest terms”.
