US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. This is reported by Interfax with reference to the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The parties discussed the detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich.
“In the context of the discussion of the issue raised by the Secretary of State about the detention in Russia of a US citizen Gershkovich suspected of espionage, Blinken’s attention was drawn to the need to respect the decisions of the Russian authorities, taken in accordance with the law and international obligations of the Russian Federation. They emphasized the inadmissibility of whipping up a stir by officials in Washington and the Western media with the clear intention of giving this case a political coloring, ”the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Lavrov and Blinken also discussed some topical bilateral issues. During the conversation, “Lavrov specifically noted that Gershkovich was caught red-handed while trying to obtain secret information, collecting data constituting state secrets under the guise of a journalistic status.”
“In the light of the established facts of the illegal activities of a US citizen, whose detention was notified to the American embassy in Moscow in accordance with the established procedure, his future fate will be determined by the court,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The US State Department statement says that Blinken called on the Russian authorities to release Gershkovich, as well as Paul Whelan, who was previously convicted of espionage.
According to the statement, the parties also discussed the importance of creating conditions for ensuring the work of each other’s diplomatic missions.
Source: Rosbalt
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