The United States is pressing Russia to provide consular access to arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, which Moscow had not provided as of Wednesday morning.
Gershkovich was detained about two weeks ago in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on allegations that he was spying on behalf of the U.S., while the State Department ruled him to be wrongfully detained on Monday. His case is being handled on the U.S. side by the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.
STATE DEPARTMENT RULES US REPORTER TO BE WRONGFULLY DETAINED IN RUSSIA
“The Russians owe us a consular visit. We have yet to have consular access to Mr. Gershkovich,” special envoy Roger Carstens told CNN on Wednesday.
The designation, Carstens said, “by force of law obligates the United States of America to seek a wrongfully detained American’s release. And that’s what we’re doing right now. My office is working closely with the National Security Council at the White House to find those paths that will bring Evan home.”
President Joe Biden negotiated two separate prisoner swaps in 2022 to secure the freedom of Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner, both of whom the administration had declared wrongfully detained. Both deals required the U.S. to give up prized Russians convicted in the U.S. of crimes.
Paul Whelan, another U.S. citizen being wrongfully detained in Russia on espionage charges, was left behind in both deals.
Carstens was asked if another swap was on the table and said the president would “find whatever it takes to get that job done.”
“The president of the United States and the secretary are committed to bringing Evan home and Paul Whelan as well,” he said. “And we’re going to find whatever it takes to get that job done. We’re not going into the specifics of the pathways of negotiation. To my mind, that might decrease our chances to garner that release, but I can tell you that the president’s shown time and time again that he’s committed, he’s willing to make the hard decisions to find ways to bring Americans home.”
Carstens said he spoke to Paul Whelan for about 15 minutes, and the two discussed Gershkovich, who is facing a 20-year prison sentence.
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David Whelan said on Tuesday that his brother Paul Whelan was able to speak to his parents a day earlier after not having been able to do so for roughly two weeks prior.
“Paul’s fear of being left behind a third time was apparently palpable in his conversation with our parents yesterday. We have asked our parents to express to Paul that Elizabeth and I can’t conceive a scenario where the U.S. government conceded anything to the Kremlin for an American’s release that did not include Paul,” he said. “It would be an unconscionable betrayal.”
