The White House is preparing a new proposal to Russia for the release of two detained American citizens, a spokesman said Thursday.
• Also read: Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia, feels “abandoned” by Washington.
• Also read: US ambassador to Russia visits imprisoned journalist Gershkovich
“We are working hard to see if we can come forward with another proposal that would be more successful,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said after Moscow rejected an earlier offer to release Wall Street journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan had refused.
Paul Whelan, jailed in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges, feels “let down” by the United States, which he accuses of “treason” for not repatriating him, according to an interview published by the BBC on Wednesday .
The prisoner spends his days sewing clothes and hats in a prison factory. He said it was -15 degrees inside the prison, where he was recently attacked by a fellow inmate.
John Kirby described reports that the former soldier was “under physical threat” as “very disturbing”.
Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American journalist for the Wall Street Journal who also worked for AFP in Moscow in the past, was arrested by Russian security services on March 29, 2023, while reporting in Yekaterinburg in the Urals.
The reporter is accused of espionage, a crime punishable by 20 years in prison, but he denies these accusations, as does Washington, his newspaper, his friends and his family.
Russia has rejected all previous US offers to release the two Americans, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said a week ago and called on President Vladimir Putin to “negotiate in good faith.”
“We made several offers. “There is a substantial offer that we made a few weeks ago,” the spokesman told the press, emphasizing that Moscow had “rejected” them all.
He was responding to the Russian president's statements that he “hopes” for an agreement with Washington on this issue.
Americans and Russians have conducted several prisoner exchanges in the past.
A year ago, the United States notably secured the release of Brittney Griner, an American basketball star imprisoned in Russia, in exchange for the release of Viktor Bout, an internationally renowned Russian arms dealer.