On Tuesday, the U.S. announced that Russia has turned down a “significant proposal” aimed at securing the release of two detained Americans, namely Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department, stated that in recent weeks, the U.S. had presented a new and important proposal to secure the release of Paul and Evan. Miller mentioned during a press briefing that Russia rejected the proposal that was put forward. He clarified that it was not a matter of them failing to respond, but a direct rejection of the offer on the table.
While Miller didn’t disclose the details of the proposal, he emphasized that Russia’s refusal would not deter the U.S. from persisting in their efforts to bring both individuals back home. Miller mentioned that the State Department has utilized various channels and presented multiple proposals to no avail.
Paul Whelan was arrested in 2018 by Russian authorities, convicted of espionage, and sentenced to 16 years in prison—a move the U.S. deems as wrongful detention. Currently held in a Russian prison labor camp, Whelan faced an attack from another inmate last week.
Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in March on charges of espionage. As of Monday, he has spent over 250 days in pre-trial detention. The U.S. also considers Gershkovich’s detention as wrongful. Notably, Gershkovich is the first American journalist to be detained in Russia since the Cold War, with his arrest occurring amidst escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine.
In October, Russia detained Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty who holds Russian-American citizenship. She was apprehended for failing to register as a foreign agent. Although the U.S. has not labeled her detention as wrongful, the State Department is actively reviewing her case.
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