Biden made a written statement on the 1st anniversary of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Gershkovic's detention in Russia "on espionage charges".
In his statement, Biden blamed the Moscow administration and argued that Russia wanted to use Americans as a "bargaining tool."
"The USA will make Russia pay for this." Using his statements, Biden stated that they did their best to get Gershkovic out of prison and return to the USA.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also made a written statement on the issue, arguing that Gershkovic was unfairly imprisoned by Russia and that Moscow was trying to use this issue as political leverage.
RUSSIA ACCUSES US JOURNALIST OF SPYING
Evan Gershkovic, who worked as a reporter in the Moscow office of the WSJ newspaper, was detained on March 29, 2023, in Yekaterinburg, in the Ural Region of the Russian Federation, on suspicion of espionage.
Russia's Federal Security Service reported that US citizen Gershkovic was arrested on charges of "espionage for the American government" and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
US President Joe Biden and some senior officials had called for the immediate release of the American journalist.
