Tucker Carlson urges Putin to release American journalist

In an interview released Thursday, Tucker Carlson urged President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to release an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal who has been held in a notorious Moscow prison for nearly a year.

Mr. Carlson's call on behalf of the reporter, Evan Gershkovich, marked only the second time Mr. Putin has directly raised an issue that has galvanized press freedom groups and strained diplomatic ties with the United States.

Large parts of the two-hour interview were taken up with Mr Putin's recounting of hundreds of years of Russian history. But in the final minutes, Mr. Carlson asked “as a sign of your decency” if he “would be willing to release him to us and we bring him back to the United States.” Mr Carlson added: 'This man is clearly not a spy. He's just a kid, and he may have broken your law somehow, but he's not a super spy, and everyone knows that.”

Mr Putin was noncommittal in his response. “We've done so many goodwill gestures out of decency that I don't think we're in it anymore,” he said, according to a translation of his remarks by Mr. Carlson's team.

Pressed by Mr. Carlson on the matter, Mr. Putin later added: “I also want him to finally return to his homeland. I am absolutely sincere. But let me say it again: the dialogue continues.”

The Russian leader suggested he wanted additional concessions from American officials before considering releasing Mr. Gershkovich. Mr. Putin suggested he might want to swap the reporter for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian citizen sentenced to life in prison in Germany for the 2019 killing of a Chechen former separatist fighter in Berlin.

Mr. Gershkovich, 32, was the first American journalist to be arrested in Russia on espionage charges since the end of the Cold War, and the U.S. government has labeled him “wrongfully detained,” meaning he is essentially considered a considered a political prisoner.

He was arrested in March in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg and charged with espionage, a charge that The Journal and U.S. authorities have strongly denied. Since then, he has been held in Moscow's infamous Lefortovo prison awaiting trial.

The Journal is owned by Rupert Murdoch's family, which also controls Mr. Carlson's former employer, Fox News. “We are encouraged to see the Russian desire for a deal that brings Evan home, and we hope this will lead to his speedy release and return to his family and our newsroom,” the newspaper said in a statement after the broadcast on Thursday of the broadcast. Putin interview.

Last month, Mr. Gershkovich, who once worked as a news assistant for The New York Times, was ordered to remain in jail at least until March 30, the fourth time his detention has been extended. Russian authorities have indicated they may be open to a prisoner exchange for him, but only after a ruling in his case.

In December, Valerie Hopkins, a correspondent for The Times, asked Mr. Putin about Mr. Gershkovich's case at a news conference. The Russian leader replied only vaguely. “We want to make a deal, but it must be acceptable to both sides,” he said, adding: “I hope we will find a solution.”

In Thursday's interview, Mr. Putin gave a similarly vague answer to Mr. Carlson. “I do not rule out that the person you refer to, Mr Gershkovich, will return to his motherland,” Mr Putin said. “But we have to reach an agreement.

“I hope you release him,” Mr. Carlson replied.