Release of Wall Street Journal reporter from Russia is top priority for Biden: White House

Washington: The release of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from a Russian pre-trial detention facility is a top priority for President Joe Biden, his national security adviser said on Tuesday, as Moscow criticised the US stance.

"We’re not going to rest until we bring him home," Jake Sullivan said at a Wall Street Journal forum. There was engagement with the Russians on his release, he said.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said earlier this month that Russia had rejected a substantial new proposal for the release of Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, two Americans considered by the US to be "wrongfully detained" by Moscow.

Whelan was tried and convicted of spying in 2020, something he denies, and given a 16-year jail term.

Gershkovich was arrested on March 29 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up to 20 years in prison after the FSB, the main successor agency to the KGB, said it had caught him "red-handed" trying to obtain military secrets.

Gershkovich and his employer, the Wall Street Journal, have flatly denied the charges and the newspaper repeatedly called for his immediate release. The White House has called the charges "ridiculous", with Biden calling the detention "totally illegal".

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday criticised the way Washington was trying to free Gershkovich.

"With regard to Gershkovich, Washington has switched on the megaphone not a microphone, and is doing everything to counter the alleged 'Russian aggression' against the journalist...(even though) he was caught red-handed during the handover or attempt to obtain classified documents," Zakharova told reporters.

"He was engaged in illegal activities on the territory of our country, which was officially stated and the relevant materials were put forward. (But) the American government continues to stubbornly pretend that he is a journalist and was doing journalism, ignoring all the evidence... which shows he was obviously guilty of espionage," said Zakharova.