Russia allegedly rejected an offer given by the United States government for the release of jailed Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich as reports suggest violence against the individuals.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller did not provide the details of the offer made by the Joe Biden administration nor why Moscow decided to reject it. However, the revelation of the happenings was a fresh indication that Washington was moving forward with trying to secure the release of Whelan and Gershkovich.
Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich
In a statement, Miller said that it was a new proposal made in the past few weeks and added that Russia's rejection would not deter them from continuing to do everything to bring the two men back home.
The development comes as the United States government has long claimed that Whelan and Gershkovich are wrongfully detained in Russia. The former is a corporate security executive from Michigan and has been imprisoned in the European country since December 2018.
That was when he was arrested by Russian officials on espionage-related charges that both he and the American government dispute. Moscow later sentenced the individual to 16 years in prison, as per WDTN.
On the other hand, Gershkovich is a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained in March while he was on a reporting trip to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. The area is located roughly 2,000 kilometers east of the country's capital, Moscow.
Both Gerskhkovich and his employer, the Journal, deny the allegations. However, Russian authorities have not yet detailed any evidence to support the espionage charges. Last week, a Russian court extended the two men's detention until Jan. 30.
Miller argued that the imprisoned Americans should never have been arrested in the first place. He added that the correct move for Russia now is to release Whelan and Gershkovich immediately. He noted that the American government has made a number of proposals to bring the men home.
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Russia Rejects Offer From the US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken in July 2022 revealed that the U.S. had made a substantial proposal to Russia to bring home WNBA star Brittney Griner and Whelan. While the former was ultimately released in December of that year, Whelan was excluded, according to the Washington Times.
The development comes as Whelan is reported to have been attacked on Tuesday by a fellow prisoner at the labor camp where he is serving his 16-year prison sentence. His brother, David Whelan, wrote an email where he said that Paul detailed the incident in a phone call to his parents.
The prisoner said that a fellow inmate blocked part of a production line as he was working at a sewing table. After Whelan supposedly tried to ask the individual to move out of the way, the latter allegedly hit him in the face, breaking his glasses, and tried to hit him a second time.
Whelan was said to have stood back up to block the second strike and other prisoners quickly intervened to prevent the prisoner from continuing his attack on the American national, said CBS News.
