White House: Release of detained US reporter is a priority for Biden

The release of the detained reporter Evan Gershkovich is a “priority” and “urgency” for U.S. President Joe Biden, according to the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

“These charges are ridiculous. Evan is not a spy. Evan has never been a spy. Evan has never worked for the U.S. government,” Jean-Pierre said in a press conference on April 4. “This is a case that is a priority for this president.”

The Wall Street Journal reporter was detained on March 30 by Russia's Federal Security Service on espionage charges, which could result in 12 to 20 years of prison sentence.

On April 2, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the “immediate release” of the reporter in a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The call meant to convey the grave concern of the American side over the detention.

Since then, Gershkovich met with his lawyers, who reported that he was in good health and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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Kyiv IndependentSofiya Doig