Russian minister says US 'isn't helping' by bringing up prisoner swap talks on reporter Gershkovich

UNITED NATIONS -- Russia’s foreign minister blamed “the Americans” for publicly bringing up a possible prisoner exchange involving imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, which he said “isn’t helping.”

A day before Gershkovich appeared in court on espionage charges, Sergey Lavrov told a U.N. news conference Wednesday that confidential negotiations are still “ongoing.” Russia has previously signaled the possibility of a swap, but it says a verdict would have to come first.

Gershkovich, the Journal and the U.S. vehemently deny the allegations against him and denounce the trial as a sham and illegitimate.

According to the original Russian version of the comments released in a video by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov said, “the Americans,” while U.N. simultaneous translators had described him pointing to “American journalists.”

On March 29, 2023, Gershkovich was arrested while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains. He is charged with espionage, but Russian authorities have not offered any evidence that he was gathering secret information for the United States.

If he is convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants. Prosecutors can appeal sentences that they consider too lenient, and they even can appeal acquittals.