Former President Donald Trump has predicted the imminent release of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich by Russia, following this year’s presidential election. Trump claims that Putin will grant the release as a favor to him, but the Kremlin has denied any contact between the two. Gershkovich has been imprisoned since March 2023 on espionage charges, which the U.S. and his employer have dismissed as absurd.
The 32-year-old reporter recently lost an appeal to end his pretrial detention and will remain behind bars until at least June. Trump made a similar claim regarding Gershkovich’s release in April.
President Biden has repeatedly called for Gershkovich’s release, and his administration is working to bring him and imprisoned American Paul Whelan home from Russia. Biden mentioned Gershkovich during his address at the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner, saying Putin should release him “immediately.”
