U.S. negotiators made an offer to Russia to secure the release of detained Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, but Moscow rejected the American proposal, reports Wall Street Journal reporters Louise Radnofsky and William Mauldin.
Radnofsky and Mauldin report, “The offer involved trading prisoners, people familiar with the matter said, but they didn’t offer further details.
“‘In recent weeks, we made a new and significant proposal to secure Paul and Evan’s release,’ State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters Tuesday. ‘That proposal was rejected by Russia.’
“The U.S. hasn’t previously acknowledged making a concrete offer seeking to bring home both Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who has been imprisoned for more than 250 days in Russia, and Whelan, a former U.S. Marine and Michigan corporate security executive held in Russia since late 2018.
“Moscow and a representative for the Russian Embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for comment.”
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