In an interview published Thursday, Tucker Carlson called on Russian President Vladimir V. Putin to release an American reporter for the Wall Street Journal who has been held in a notorious Moscow prison for nearly a year.
Mr. Carlson’s appeal on behalf of reporter Evan Gershkovich was only the second time that Mr. Putin directly addressed a case that has galvanized press freedom groups and strained diplomatic ties with the United States.
Large portions of the two-hour interview were taken up by Mr. Putin’s recounting of hundreds of years of Russian history. But in the final minutes, Mr. Carlson asked “as a sign of your decency” if he “would be willing to hand him over to us and we would bring him back to the United States.” Mr. Carlson added: “This guy is obviously not a spy. He’s a child, and he may have broken your law in some way, but he’s not a super spy, and everyone knows that.”
Mr. Putin remained noncommittal in his response. “We’ve done so many goodwill gestures out of decency that I think we’ve run out of them,” he said, according to a translation of his remarks by Mr. Carlson’s team.
Pressed on the case by Mr. Carlson, Mr. Putin later added: “I also want him to finally return to his homeland.” I am absolutely sincere. But let me say again: the dialogue continues.”
The Russian leader indicated that he wanted additional concessions from American officials before considering Mr. Gershkovich’s release. Mr. Putin hinted that he might be willing to swap the reporter for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian citizen sentenced to life in prison in Germany for the 2019 killing of a former Chechen separatist fighter in Berlin.
Mr. Gershkovich, 32, was the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the end of the Cold War, and the U.S. government has classified him as “unlawfully detained,” meaning he is essentially considered a political prisoner .
He was arrested in March in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg and accused of espionage, a claim the Journal and American authorities have strenuously denied. Since then he has been held in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison, where he awaits trial.
The Journal is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s family, which also controls Mr. Carlson’s former employer, Fox News. “We are encouraged to see Russia’s desire for a deal that brings Evan home, and we hope this leads to his speedy release and his return to his family and our newsroom,” the newspaper said in a statement on Thursday after the broadcast of the Putin Interview program.
Last month, Mr. Gershkovich, who once worked as a news assistant for The New York Times, was ordered to remain in prison until at least March 30, marking the fourth extension of his sentence. Russian authorities have indicated they might be open to a prisoner exchange for him, but only after a verdict in his case.
In December, Valerie Hopkins, a Times correspondent, questioned Mr. Putin at a news conference about Mr. Gershkovich’s case. The Russian leader gave only a vague answer. “We want to make a deal, but it should be acceptable to both sides,” he said, adding: “I hope we can find a solution.”
In the interview on Thursday, Mr. Putin gave a similarly slurred answer to Mr. Carlson. “I do not rule out that the person you are referring to, Mr. Gershkovich, could return to his homeland,” Putin said. “But we have to agree.
“I hope you let him out,” Mr. Carlson replied.
Source link
2024-02-09 00:59:57
www.nytimes.com
