US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has had a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, writes the Wall Street Journal. During the conversation, Blinken is said to have demanded that Russia release the American journalist Evan Gershkovich – who has been detained on suspicion of espionage. The US State Department has released a press release detailing the phone call. Among other things, Blinken is said to have called the actions of the Russian judiciary “unacceptable”. The call to the Kremlin Evan Gershkovich, who covers Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet Union for America’s The Wall Street Journal, was detained at a Moscow court for two months. The negotiations were held at the end of last week and, according to information in the Russian media, Gershkovich’s defenders were not present. According to the Russian security service FSB, he is accused of spying on behalf of the United States. He denies all the charges. “The flash conveyed the United States’ serious concern about Russia’s unacceptable detention of an American citizen and journalist,” writes the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Furthermore, the two foreign ministers’ conversation is said to have been about how both parties should act to create a relationship that allows for continued diplomatic negotiations.
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Blinken’s demand to Lavrov: Release the American journalist
