Biden calls family of reporter detained in Russia and charged with espionage
Joe Biden spoke to the parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the Moscow-based journalist was detained in Russia and charged with espionage.
The president made the call as he flew to Belfast to start a four-day trip to Northern Ireland and Ireland. The call happened one day after the Biden administration formally declared the reporter had been “wrongfully detained”.
The designation elevates Gershkovich’s case for the US government and means that a particular state department office will take the lead on seeking his release.
Before departing Washington on Tuesday, Biden again condemned the journalist’s detention. Both the US government and Wall Street Journal have vehemently denied the Russian accusation that Gershkovich is a spy.
“We’re making it real clear that it’s totally illegal what’s happening, and we declared it so,” Biden said. “It changes the dynamic.”
The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters after the call that Biden “felt it was really important to connect with Evan’s family, his parents”. She said that Gershkovich, 31, has been “top of mind” for the president.
The White House’s national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, said that the Russian government has yet to grant US consular access to Gershkovich.
“It’s not for lack of trying,” Kirby said, adding that the state department has been seeking access “ever since the moment we found out that he was detained”.
Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich in Ekaterinburg, Russia’s fourthlargest city, on 29 March. He is the first US correspondent since the cold war to be detained in Russia for alleged spying.
In their own statement on Tuesday, Gershkovich’s family members thanked Biden for the call and saying they had “a hole in [their] hearts … that won’t be filled” until the journalist’s return.
“We are encouraged that the state department has officially designated Evan as wrongfully detained,” the Gershkovich family’s statement said. “We appreciate President Biden’s call to us today, assuring us that the US government is doing everything in its power to bring him home as quickly as possible.
“In addition to being a distinguished journalist, Evan is a beloved son and brother. There is a hole in our hearts and in our family that won’t be filled until we are reunited. We are grateful for the outpouring of support from his colleagues, friends and everyone standing with Evan and advocating for his immediate release.”