Overview

• Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, has been detained in Russia on espionage charges since March 2023.
• Donald Trump claims Gershkovich will be released shortly after the November election if he wins, promising no payment will be made.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated there have been no communications between Putin and Trump regarding Gershkovich.
• The Biden campaign criticizes Trump, accusing him of using wrongfully imprisoned Americans as political tools.
• Past U.S.-Russia prisoner exchanges, including the release of Brittney Griner, have been conducted discreetly.