The United States confirmed on Friday that there have been talks with Russia to press for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, but forewarned that those discussions “have not produced a clear pathway to a resolution.”
Speaking at a news conference on July 7, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Gershkovich’s family and representatives for the New York-based newspaper to discuss the latest status of the case and the administration’s efforts to secure the reporter’s release.
“We did see the comments from the Kremlin that there have been contacts between the U.S. and Russia regarding Evan and other unjustly detained Americans,” Mr. Sullivan said. “It is true, and we have said, that we remain in contact with Russian authorities at high levels on these cases to try to figure out a way to bring unjustly detained Americans home.”
“I do not want to give false hope,” he added. “What the Kremlin said earlier this week is correct: There have been discussions. But those discussions have not produced a clear pathway to a resolution, and so I cannot stand here today and tell you that we have a clear answer to how we are going to get Evan home.”
Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was open to discussing a possible prisoner exchange that could involve Mr. Gershkovich and Vladimir Dunaev, a Russian citizen who is facing charges in the United States for alleged cybercrimes. However, Mr. Peskov underscored that such talks must be held out of the public eye.
“We have said that there have been certain contacts on the subject, but we don’t want them to be discussed in public,” Mr. Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old journalist was taken into custody in the city of Yekaterinburg while on a reporting trip. He is being held at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions. A Moscow court last week upheld a ruling to keep him in custody until Aug. 30.
Mr. Gershkovich and his employer deny the allegations, and the U.S. government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. His arrest rattled journalists in Russia. Authorities there have not provided any evidence to support the espionage charges.
During Friday’s news conference, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said July 7 marks 100 days since Mr. Gershkovich was “wrongfully detained” by the FSB.
“The world knows that the charges against Evan are baseless,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said. “He was arrested in Russia during the course of simply doing his job as a journalist. And he is being held by Russia for leverage because he is an American.”
Imprisoned Veteran
Mr. Whelan is a 53-year-old corporate security executive from Michigan who was arrested in December 2018. The U.S. Department of State marked the fourth anniversary of his detention in December 2022, decrying the “unfathomable ordeal” the veteran has endured.
“Russian authorities subjected him to a secret trial and sentenced him to 16 years in a Russian penal colony based on secret evidence,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement at the time. “His detention remains unacceptable, and we continue to press for his immediate release at every opportunity.”
Mr. Whelan was in Moscow for the wedding of a fellow Marine veteran on Dec. 28, 2018, when he was arrested on espionage charges. While the FSB said he was arrested while “on a spy mission,” he has maintained his innocence, insisting that he was set up.
The U.S. government has backed him in those claims, with Mr. Sullivan describing Mr. Whelan’s trial as a “mockery of justice.”
Although Mr. Whelan was not included in the one-for-one swap that resulted in the release of Ms. Griner, the White House has repeatedly indicated that they remain committed to bringing him home.
“We have also made clear for months now—even before Evan was detained, as we were dealing with Paul Whelan—that we are prepared to do hard things in order to get our citizens home,” Mr. Sullivan said at Friday’s press briefing.
