Russia rejects proposal to release two US citizens.

Washington says Russia has refused a proposal to release two American citizens detained by Moscow, Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.

"We have made a number of proposals, including one important and substantive one, in recent weeks. But Russia has rejected them," Matthew Miller, spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said on December 5.

Miller said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Joe Biden are continuing to seek the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, two Americans who they believe were "illegally detained" by Russia.

"They should not have been arrested. They should have been released immediately," Miller said. "For the Secretary of State and the President, this is now the top priority."

Russia has not commented on the information.

Evan Gershkovich (right) is escorted into the Lefortovsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, on August 24. Photo: AFP

Despite the deterioration in bilateral relations since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the US and Russia have brokered two prisoner exchanges, including the release of basketball star Brittney Griner, who was detained by Moscow on charges of marijuana possession.

Gershkovich, 32, was arrested in late March in the Ural region of Yekaterinburg, becoming the first Western journalist to be detained on charges of espionage in Russia dating back to the Soviet era. Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal, and the US government deny the charges. A Moscow court last week extended Gershkovich's detention until January 2024.

Paul Whelan was arrested by Russian security forces in Moscow in December 2018. Russia alleged that Whelan, who held US, British, Canadian, and Irish passports, was a spy caught in possession of a USB drive containing classified information. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court in 2020.

Whelan vehemently denies all accusations against Russia. Last week, Whelan's family said he had been assaulted by fellow inmates, possibly due to his nationality.

Thanh Tam (According to AFP )

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