WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden called on Russia on Friday (Mar 31) to release detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was charged with spying by Moscow.
Russia’s FSB security service said on Thursday it had detained Gershkovich, the most serious public move against a foreign journalist since Russia invaded Ukraine.
“Let him go,” Biden said as he left the White House for a trip to storm-ravaged Mississippi.
Asked if he was going to expel Russian diplomats after the detention of Gershkovich, Biden said, “That’s not the plan right now.”
The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, called the espionage charges “ridiculous” on Thursday and said there was no evidence to support the claim.
