US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday demanded the immediate release of his compatriot journalist arrested this week in Russia on charges of espionage, while his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov denounced what he called the "media hype" in the West on the subject.
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said that the minister expressed - during a phone call with Lavrov - the United States' grave concern about Moscow's unacceptable arrest of an American journalist, adding that "the secretary of state called for his immediate release" and also demanded the release of another American, Paul Whelan.
The US State Department pointed out that Blinken discussed with Lavrov the need to create an atmosphere that allows diplomatic missions to perform their tasks.
In the phone call, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denounced what he called the "media hype" in the West over the arrest of an American journalist in Russia on Thursday.
Lavrov said in a statement that it was unacceptable for officials in Washington and Western media to cause a stir with a clear intention to give the issue a political dimension.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that the minister confirmed that the reporter was caught red-handed, and that the judiciary will determine his fate.
The Wall Street Journal yesterday called for the immediate release of its Moscow correspondent Ivan Gershkovich, who was arrested by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on charges of espionage.
"Ivan's case is a grave affront to a free press and should outrage all free individuals and governments around the world," the same newspaper said in a statement posted on Twitter.