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Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov over Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia on espionage charges.
During the phone conversation, Lavrov underscored the need to respect the decision of Russian authorities made under Russia’s law and international obligations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Lavrov expressed opposition to attempts of U.S. officials and the Western media to politicize the legal case. He noted that “Gershkovich was caught red-handed while trying to obtain classified information and collecting data constituting a state secret under the guise of a journalistic status” and his fate will be determined by the court.
In addition, Lavrov and Blinken touched upon some bilateral issues during the call, the statement said.
The Russian Federal Security Service announced on Thursday that it had detained Gershkovich in Yekaterinburg for “spying in the interests of the American government” and a criminal case had been launched.
I spoke with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today to convey our grave concern over Russia’s unacceptable detention of a U.S. citizen journalist. I called for his release and for the release of wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 2, 2023
