Former President Donald Trump is claiming his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin will guarantee Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s release from prison shortly after the November election.
“Evan Gershkovich, the Reporter from The Wall Street Journal, who is being held by Russia, will be released almost immediately after the Election, but definitely before I assume Office,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “He will be HOME, SAFE, AND WITH HIS FAMILY. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me, but not for anyone else, and WE WILL BE PAYING NOTHING!”
A spokesperson for the Kremlin told the Wall Street Journal, “There is no contact between Putin and Trump on this matter.”
Gershkovich is a Wall Street Journal reporter being held on charges of espionage in Russia. During a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg last May, he was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service. The U.S. government, press freedom groups, and his employer consider him wrongfully detained.
On the one-year anniversary of Gershkovich’s arrest, top congressional leaders made a bipartisan call for his release, stating, “Journalism is not a crime, and reporters are not bargaining chips.”
This is not the first time Trump has claimed his relationship with Putin could yield concessions from the Russian leader. During an April interview with Time, the former president said, “I don’t know if he’s going to be released under Biden. I would get him released.”
Both during and after his presidency, Trump has expressed his belief that a constructive relationship with Russia was necessary.
During a 2018 meeting with Putin, Trump said, “I think the world wants to see us get along.”
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In a 2019 Twitter post, Trump said, “I have been FAR tougher on Russia than Obama, Bush or Clinton. Maybe tougher than any other President. At the same time, & as I have often said, getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. I fully expect that someday we will have good relations with Russia again!”
Last September, the former president stated during an interview, “There was nobody tougher than me with Russia. And yet I got along with Putin. Let me tell you, I got along with him really well. And that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. He’s got 1,700 nuclear missiles. And so do we.”