World News | Biden Adviser Says US is Pressing for the Release of Reporter Who Has Spent 100 Days in Russian Jail

Washington, Jul 8 (AP) White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US has been in contact with Russian officials to press for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich as Friday marked the 100th day of the journalist being detained by the Russian government.

Sullivan said on Friday that he also spoke with Gershkovich's family representatives and Wall Street Journal officials during the day about the status of the case and the administration's efforts to win the reporter's release.

Also Read | Lebanon Mosque Shooting: At Least One Dead, Five Injured After Firing Inside Mosque in Bar Elias Town, Says Security Official.

The Kremlin earlier this week suggested that it was open to a possible prisoner exchange that could involve Gershkovich, but it underscored that such talks must be held out of the public eye.

"I do not want to give false hope," Sullivan told reporters. "What the Kremlin said earlier this week is correct. There have been discussions. But those discussions have not produced a clear pathway to a resolution, and so I cannot stand here today and tell you that we have a clear answer to how we are going to get Evan home."

Also Read | India: Lung Disease Turns Budhpura into ‘village of Widows’.

The US ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, on Monday was allowed to visit Gershkovich for the first time since April.

Gershkovich was arrested on espionage charges in the city of Yekaterinburg while on a reporting trip. He is being held at Moscow's Lefortovo prison, notorious for its harsh conditions. A Moscow court last week upheld a ruling to keep him in custody until August 30.

Gershkovich and his employer deny the allegations, and the US government has declared him to be wrongfully detained. His arrest rattled journalists in Russia. Authorities there have not provided any evidence to support the espionage charges.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the US stance that the detention of Gershkovich was baseless. She reiterated the administration's call for the immediate release of Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a Marine Corps veteran who has been detained in Russia on espionage charges for four years.

"Our message to Evan and Paul is this: Keep the faith. We won't stop until you are home," Jean-Pierre said. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)