Secretary of State Antony Blinken talked to his Russian counterpart Sunday and called for the “immediate release” of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested last week by Russian authorities and dubiously accused of spying on Russia.
“Secretary Blinken conveyed the United States’ grave concern over Russia’s unacceptable detention of a U.S. citizen journalist,” deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement.
The Kremlin issued its own statement on the Blinken call, indicating that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Washington of politicizing The Wall Street Journal reporter’s case.
Mr. Lavrov told Mr. Blinken that Mr. Gershkovich’s fate would be determined by a court and reiterated Russia’s assertion, for which it has not publicly stated any evidence, that the journalist was caught “red-handed” last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry statement said, according to Reuters.
Russian authorities arrested Mr. Gershkovich Thursday on allegations of espionage, sparking a furious reaction in Washington, adding fresh tension to already icy U.S.-Russian relations and stoking fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin has fully embraced a new strategy as retaliation for Western opposition to his war in Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal vehemently denied the charges against Mr. Gershkovich, a veteran journalist who speaks fluent Russian. He was taken into custody by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, in the city of Yekaterinburg.
Russian detention of Americans is nothing new. Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive, has been held in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges. His family and the U.S. government say those charges are entirely baseless.
Analysts say Mr. Putin believes he can use Americans to secure the release of Russian prisoners — a strategy employed last year after WNBA star Brittney Griner was detained on a trip to Russia until the Biden administration agreed to free arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange.
The State Department said Mr. Blinken raised the Whelan case during his discussion with Mr. Lavrov on Sunday, calling on the Kremlin to “immediately release wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan.”
“The Secretary and Foreign Minister Lavrov also discussed the importance of creating an environment that permits diplomatic missions to carry out their work,” said Mr. Patel.
• Ben Wolfgang contributed to this article.
