(ConservativeJournal.org) – Tucker Carlson has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin about the prospect of releasing American Journalist Evan Gershkovich. He has been in prison in Russia for nearly a year, after being accused of espionage by the Russian government. Speaking to Putin in his Twitter interview with the Russian leader, Carlson’s plea marked the second time where Putin directly addressed the case, which has garnered attention from Gershkovich’s advocates and has strained ties between the US and Russia.
While much of the two-hour interview covered Russian history, at the end of the interview, Carlson urged Putin to release Gershkovich as a gesture of good will. Carlson described Gershkovich as young and told Putin that he is not a spy. Putin’s response did not give any more information or promises. Instead, he cited previous goodwill gestures and suggested that the US should do more before he considers Gershkovich’s release.
Putin made hints that he could be willing to exchange Vadim Krasikov—a Russian who is now serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 killing of a former Chechen separatist fighter in Berlin—for Gershkovich. The 32-year-old Gershkovich was the first American journalist detained in Russia on spy accusations since the end of the Cold War when he was apprehended in Yekaterinburg in March 2023. The US government has said the Gershkovich was wrongfully detained.
Gershkovich’s detention has been extended four times, with his latest order to stay in prison until at least March 30. The Russian authorities have hinted at the possibility of a prisoner swap, depending on the verdict of his case in Russian court. Despite Carlson’s appeal and previous inquiries by The New York Times, Putin’s responses remained vague, showing that Russian president believes more can be done by the US to secure his release.
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