Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin says war was ‘unleashed’ on Russia

After some missed calls, President Joe Biden finally connected with the parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed Tuesday.

"He felt it was really important to connect with Evan's family," she told reporters on Air Force One as the president travels to Ireland.

Meanwhile, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Gershkovich's detention is "pretty fresh" and officials are still trying to get consular access to Gershkovich, which they have not been able to do.

He would not get into any specific conversations the U.S. is having with Russians about releasing Gershkovich or if a prisoner swap is a possibility.

"I just want to make a couple of things clear that is, the determination of wrongful detention, it doesn't start the clock necessarily on communicating with the Russians about getting him released," Kirby said. "We're very early in this process here and I certainly, I think you can understand why I wouldn't talk about any discussions we might be having with the Russians about his release or Paul [Whelan]'s release. We certainly wouldn't do that."

Kirby said the administration is "certainly having discussions about what we can do to get him released."

"I don't want to go into details about these internal deliberations, having things out in the public sphere viscerally might actually make it harder to get Evan and Paul home, and that's what we're focused on," Kirby said.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has determined that Wall Street Journalist reporter Evan Gershkovich is being wrongfully detained by Russia, according to a statement released Monday afternoon.

Two Americans are now considered to be wrongfully detained by Russia -- Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.

Gershkovich’s case will now be transferred to the Office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, the U.S. government’s top hostage negotiator.

Gershkovich, a 31-year-old New Jersey native who has lived and worked in Moscow as an accredited journalist for the last six years, was in a restaurant in Yekaterinburg on March 29 when Russia's Federal Security Service arrested him on espionage charges that the Wall Street Journal, his colleagues and the U.S. government have said are absurd.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Crawford

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that the tanks Poland agreed to give Ukraine are already in the country, including the Leopards.

"Poland has fulfilled everything it declared about tanks," Zelenskyy said during his nightly address, adding that there is also an agreement on 200 Rosomak armored personnel carriers and "self-propelled mortars, additional missiles, MiGs."

-ABC News' Edward Szekeres

American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has now been formally charged with espionage, according to Russian state media. The move by Russia comes as a campaign to free him swells, with Senate leaders issuing a bipartisan demand to free him.

The formal charging shows Russia is pressing ahead with putting the journalist on trial, despite a growing outcry that has seen dozens of global media outlets demand his release.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday issued an unusual bipartisan statement calling for Gershkovich’s immediate release, saying "journalism is not a crime."

They also demanded Russia allow consular access to Gershkovich, who U.S. diplomats have still not been allowed to visit 10 days since his arrest, in violation of international rules.

The U.S.’s National Press Club has also now awarded Gershkovich its highest honor for press freedom, praising him for his brave commitment to reporting on Russia despite the risks.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell