US President Joe Biden called on Russia to release Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovitch after the Russian security service arrested him on charges of espionage, allegations denied by the newspaper.
“Let him go,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday morning when asked about his message to Russia regarding Gershkovitch’s arrest, according to the Associated Press.
And whether he would expel Russian diplomats or journalists in the United States in response to this, Biden replied, “This is not the plan now.”
The Russian Federal Security Service accused Gershkovich, an American, of trying to obtain classified information. This is the first time that an American journalist has been arrested on charges of espionage since the Cold War.
For its part, the American newspaper “strongly” denied the accusations.
On Thursday, the Biden administration said it was working to ensure consular access to Gershkovitch.
White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre described “the targeting of American nationals in Russia as unacceptable,” noting that the US administration condemned Gershkovich’s arrest “in the strongest terms.”
The Biden administration also warned American citizens against traveling to Russia, and recommended Americans currently there to return “immediately.”