Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused the Biden administration of using threats and pressure to try to free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia since March. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the United States government was not focusing on solutions to Gershkovich’s detention. “Dialogue involves the search for some solutions. From the American side, we see only attempts to pressure, pressure, threats,” Ryabkov said, according to RIA Novosti. “There is no dialogue in this genre.” The State Department did not immediately return a request for comment, though western experts have accused Russia of arresting Gershkovich to use as a bargaining chip in a prisoner swap. Russia’s Ryabkov has previously suggested it may engage in a prisoner swap negotiation to determine Gershkovich’s fate, but that kind of discussion could only come after a court has reached a verdict in his case.
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