During a wide-ranging conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was released on Thursday, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson made a direct plea for journalist Evan Gershkovich’s release from a Russian prison.
Gershkovich, a reporter covering Russia for The Wall Street Journal, was detained in the city of Yekaterinburg on March 29, 2023, accused of espionage, an allegation that U.S. officials have called “baseless.”
But during the interview, Putin pushed back when Carlson said the 32-year-old writer was just a journalist and “obviously not a spy.”
“You know, you can give a different interpretation to what constitutes a spy,” the Russian leader said before claiming, without evidence, that Gershkovich was proved to be a foreign agent. Putin said the journalist was “caught red-handed” receiving confidential information.
Putin went on to say, though, that he was open to negotiating a deal with the U.S. to return Gershkovich “to his motherland.”
“At the end of the day, it does not make any sense to keep him in prison in Russia,” Putin told Carlson via translator. “We are ready to talk.”
Carlson again urged Putin to release Gershkovich, prompting the president to say he was “absolutely sincere” in his desire to reach a resolution with the U.S.
Russian officials had previously signaled they were open to the possibility of a prisoner swap but not before Gershkovich’s trial has concluded.
Last month, a Russian court extended Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention a fourth time. If found guilty of espionage, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
The full interview is at TuckerCarlson.com.