Putin Hopes Moscow and Washington Will Find a Solution on Arrested U.S. Citizens

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his hope that Moscow and Washington would be able to find a solution regarding the arrested U.S. citizens, WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich and jailed ex-Marine Paul Whelan.

Putin mentioned on Thursday that discussions on the matter were challenging and not simple, indicating ongoing dialogue between the two countries. 

In response to New York Times journalist Valerie Hopkins, Putin expressed his hopes about finding a decision, saying again the importance of American authorities considering Russia's perspective. He challenged the portrayal of Gershkovich's detainment as being without due process and instead raised the question of why Western journalists continue to engage in misconduct on Russian soil. 

Earlier this month, the United States announced that Russia had turned down a suggestion to release Gershkovich and Whelan. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that, We have put forth several proposals, including a significant one in recent weeks. However, Russia declined this proposal. 

On Thursday, a court in Moscow upheld the decision to keep Gershkovich in custody until January 30. He was arrested in Russia earlier this year on charges of espionage. 

The allegations of spying made against the 32-year-old Wall Street Journal correspondent in Moscow have been refuted by both his employer and the U.S. government.

In December 2018, Whelan was arrested by agents from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in a Moscow hotel room, on charges of spying.

In 2020, he was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison, U.S. government has designated the decision as wrongful detention. 

According to The Moscow Times.