Lavrov: White House has called Kremlin to seek release of Gershkovich and Whelan

FILE PHOTO: Washington Post reporter Vivian Salama wears a cape reading "Free Evan", referring to detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who was arrested on March 30 in Russia and subsequently charged with espionage, a charge he has denied, on the red carpet arriving for the annual White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that White House officials had requested the release of detained Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan in conversations with a Kremlin official.

In an interview with a Russian TV channel, Lavrov said White House officials "sometimes call" Yury Ushakov, a presidential aide specialising in foreign affairs, and send "one and the same signal" demanding the release of the two men.