Blinken Calls For ‘Immediate Release’ Of American Reporter And Paul Whelan In Call With Russian Counterpart

Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Sunday, asking for the “immediate release” of two Americans, Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and Paul Whelan, an ex-U.S. Marine veteran. Both have been detained in Russia, Gershkovich on spying allegations and Whelan since 2018 on espionage charges, which he denies. The State Department announced Blinken’s “grave concern” over the detention of the journalist, while the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed the US was politicking the issue.

Biden has also called for Gershkovich’s release, while officials have not yet managed to meet with him. Gershkovich faces up to two decades behind bars given his charges. Blinken’s conversation with Lavrov was the countries’ third since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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