Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that the U.S. take "vigorous steps" in the case of the American journalist from the "Wall Street Journal" Evan Gershkovich, against whom Russia has brought charges of espionage, but noted that this issue can be resolved "only on the basis of reciprocity", TASS and Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Putin said this at yesterday's meeting in St. Petersburg with heads of world news agencies.
"We know that the US administration is indeed taking vigorous steps to secure his release. But such issues are not yet resolved through the media. They require such quiet, calm, professional approaches and dialogue between intelligence services. And, of course, they should be resolved only on the basis of reciprocity," the Russian president emphasized on the occasion of the Gershkovich case.
Putin said that talks on the issue with US intelligence services are continuing, but they should be held privately.
Gerschkovich became the first American journalist to be arrested since the Cold War on espionage charges in Russia, where in March 2023 he was detained by Russia's Federal Security Service. He and his newspaper deny the allegations against him, Reuters notes.