Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow is in dialogue with the United States on the issue of bringing home imprisoned Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich and that the Kremlin hopes to “find a solution,” although “it won’t be easy.”
Putin spoke about Whelan and Gershkovich during his year-end press conference in response to questions about a recent offer made by the Biden administration to secure the release of the two men.
The US State Department reported it earlier this month, without offering details, and said Russia rejected it.
Putin said that Moscow did not rule out repatriating the two Americans, wondering rhetorically: “Why did they commit a crime on Russian soil?”
“We have contact on this matter with our American partners, there is a dialogue on this issue. It’s not easy, I won’t go into details now. But in general, it seems to me that we speak in a language that we understand,” he continued. “I hope we will find a solution. But, I repeat, the American side must listen to us and make a decision that will satisfy the Russian side as well.”
Putin spoke about Whelan and Gershkovich during his year-end press conference in response to questions about a recent bid to secure the release of the two men. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, has been imprisoned in Russia since his arrest in December 2018 on espionage-related charges that he and the US government dispute.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in March while on his way to report to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) east of Moscow.
He was accused of espionage — the Security Service of the Russian Federation claimed that the journalist, “acting at the behest of the Americans, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”
Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in March while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg and accused of espionage. AP
He has been behind bars ever since.
The Lefortovo District Court in Moscow on November 28 decided to extend his detention until the end of January, and an appeal Gershkovich had filed against the decision was rejected by the Moscow City Court at a hearing on Thursday.
Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the US government has declared he was wrongfully detained.
Russian authorities have not detailed any evidence to support the espionage allegations.
Gershkovich and the Journal deny the allegations, and the US government has declared he was wrongfully detained. AFP via Getty Images
Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be charged with espionage in Russia since 1986, when Nicholas Daniloff, the Moscow correspondent for US News and World Report, was arrested by the KGB.
He was held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions.
Analysts have pointed out that Moscow may be using the imprisoned Americans as bargaining chips after US-Russia tensions escalated when Russia sent troops to Ukraine.
At least two US citizens arrested in Russia in recent years – including WNBA star Brittney Griner – have been exchanged for Russians imprisoned in the US
Paul Whelan has been imprisoned in Russia since his arrest in December 2018 on espionage-related charges. Reuters
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it would consider an exchange for Gershkovich only after the outcome of his trial. In Russia, espionage trials can last for more than a year.
Lynne Tracy, the US Ambassador to Russia, attended a court hearing for Gershkovich’s appeal on Thursday and told reporters that “Evan’s suffering has now lasted over 250 days. His life has been put on hold for over eight months for a crime he did not commit.”
“While Evan looked sharp and focused as usual today in the courtroom, it is unacceptable that the Russian authorities have chosen to use him as a political pawn,” Tracy said after the hearing.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
