Russia says ‘unacceptable’ for US to politicise case of detained WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke in a rare phone call on Sunday.(AP: Olivier Douliery/Pool Photo)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken it was unacceptable for Washington to politicise the case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained and accused of spying in Russia.
Key points:
- In a phone call between the two, Mr Lavrov warned Mr Blinken of the “need to respect the decisions” of Russian authorities
- Mr Blinken called for the immediate release of Gershkovich, the US State Department says
- He also sought the immediate release of another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Mr Lavrov told Mr Blinken in a phone call on Sunday that Gershkovich’s fate would be determined by a court.
Mr Blinken had called Mr Lavrov to ask that Gershkovich be immediately released from custody.
Mr Blinken however reiterated Russia’s assertion, for which it has not publicly stated any evidence, that the journalist was caught “red-handed” last week.
“Blinken’s attention was drawn to the need to respect the decisions of the Russian authorities, taken in accordance with the law and international obligations of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.
“It was emphasised that it is unacceptable for officials in Washington and the Western media to whip up a stir with the clear intention of giving this case a political colouring.”
The US State Department said in a statement that Mr Blinken had made the call without mentioning Gershkovich by name.
“Secretary Blinken conveyed the United States’ grave concern over Russia’s unacceptable detention of a US citizen journalist. The Secretary called for his immediate release,” US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
Blinken seeks release of two Americans
Mr Blinken also sought the immediate release of another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan, whom the statement said was wrongfully detained.
Mr Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive, has been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the US government have said are baseless. He is serving a 16-year sentence.
Mr Blinken and Mr Lavrov also discussed “the importance of creating an environment that permits diplomatic missions to carry out their work,” according to the State Department.
Russia’s FSB security service said on Thursday it had arrested Gershkovich, accusing him of gathering information about a Russian defence company that was a state secret.
The Wall Street Journal has vehemently denied that Gershkovich was spying, and also called for his immediate release.
The White House has called the espionage charge, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years, “ridiculous”.
Reuters/AP
