Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday the Kremlin wants "to reach an agreement" on the return of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who has been jailed in Russia since March on espionage charges that are widely viewed as politically motivated.
"It is not that we have refused to return them," Putin said at a Thursday press conference, referring to Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, another American jailed in Russia on espionage charges.
"We want to reach an agreement, and these agreements must be mutually acceptable and must suit both sides. We have contacts with our American partners in this regard, and there is an ongoing dialogue," Putin said.
It was the Russian president's first time speaking publicly about Gershkovich, a Russia correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
"It is not easy. I will not go into details, but in general, it seems to me that we are speaking a language that we both understand. I hope that we will find a solution," Putin continued.
Gershkovich was arrested in late March on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny. The State Department has declared him wrongfully detained.
On Thursday, a Russian court upheld a ruling to hold Gershkovich in detention until at least Jan. 30, 2024.
"While we expected this outcome, it's important that we appeal these rulings to call out the absurd nature of the charge. Evan has been wrongfully detained for more than 250 days for simply doing his job as a journalist, and any portrayal to the contrary is fiction," the Journal said in a statement.
If convicted, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison.
Gershkovich is one of two American journalists currently jailed in Russia. Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor at VOA's sister outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was jailed in October on charges of failing to register as a "foreign agent."
Earlier this week, Russian authorities also accused Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian national, of spreading fake news about the Russian army.
The National Press Club condemned the fresh charges.
"We reject these latest false charges by the Russian government against Alsu. She has done nothing wrong and should be released immediately. This continued abuse of an American citizen must stop. Alsu is being targeted because she is a journalist, and journalism is not a crime," said a statement issued jointly by Eileen O'Reilly, president of the National Press Club, and Gil Klein, president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute.
On Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson said, "They have acknowledged her detention to us, though they have not made a formal notification."
The spokesperson added that the Russian government has denied U.S. requests for consular access to Kurmasheva.
Despite calls from RFE/RL, Kurmasheva's family, U.S. lawmakers and press freedom groups to declare Kurmasheva wrongfully detained, the State Department has not done so.
A Prague-based editor for RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service, Kurmasheva traveled to Russia in May for a family emergency. Her passports were confiscated when she tried to leave the country in June, and she was waiting for her passports to be returned when she was jailed in October.
