Biden pushes Russia prisoner swap to free Evan Gershkovich

President Joe Biden confirmed on Friday that he was “serious on a prisoner exchange”, the prospect of which was floated by the Kremlin earlier this month.

More than 100 days since Mr Gershkovich was arrested and imprisoned in Russia while on a reporting trip, his sister Danielle made her first public media appearance, saying she and her family were “living in hope” that a solution could be found for him to be freed.

“It’s a really tough position to be in because you have to steel yourself to know that it’s going to be a long time, and you don’t really know what is coming next,” she told the US National Press Club.

“I’m so proud of him … I don’t know how he’s staying so brave but it means I have to stay brave for him too.”

Mr Biden indicated negotiations were underway on a prisoner exchange after Russian officials earlier cautioned such talks would need to occur behind closed doors.

“I’m serious about doing all we can to free Americans being illegally held in Russia or anywhere else for that matter, and that process is underway,” he told reporters.

Last week, the President’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan acknowledged there had been talks with Russia, although he said there was not yet “a clear pathway” for Mr Gershkovich’s freedom.

A Russian court recently extended his detention to August 30 on contested espionage charges, with the US government having designated that he was wrongfully detained.

Ella Milman, Mr Gershkovich’s mother, told the US ABC network earlier this week that Mr Biden had privately given her family “a promise to do whatever it takes” to free the reporter.

She said she was “very, very optimistic that it’s going in the right direction”.

Dow Jones general counsel Jason Conti, who is spearheading the Journal’s legal team, said that if Mr Gershkovich’s case proceeded to trial, it would be held in secret in a system where “the conviction rate is basically 100 per cent”.

“There’s not a whole lot of ability to manoeuvre in that kind of system,” he told the National Press Club.

“The real goal is to try to short-circuit all of that and get him released as soon as possible.”

Ms Gershkovich said she received letters from her brother every week which “totally changes my mood”. She described him as a driven and hardworking reporter who also had a “mischievous glint” in his eyes and “somehow sees into your soul”.

“He would be the person I’d be talking to, to make sense of this,” Ms Gershkovich said.

Originally published as Joe Biden pushes Russia prisoner swap deal to free detained reporter Evan Gershkovich