President Biden: You can't lead America with ancient ideas
President Biden gives closing remarks during his State of the Union address.
President Biden gave a brief acknowledgment during his State of the Union address of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been considered wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly a year.
The shoutout for Gershkovich came as he addressed the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, making his vow to do everything he can to bring American hostages home from Gaza.
"We'll also work around the clock to bring home Evan and Paul [Whelan], Americans being unjustly detained by the Russians and others around the world," Biden said Thursday night before continuing on about the Middle East conflict.
Seen in the gallery were Gershkovich's parents, Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich, wearing "Free Evan" buttons. They were invited guests of House Speaker Mike Johnson.
PUTIN HINTS AT POSSIBLE SWAP FOR WSJ REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH
President Biden vowed to bring home Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who's been wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly a year. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Gershkovich was arrested last March as Russian authorities leveled dubious espionage charges against him. He has been kept in Moscow for nearly a year.
WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH PASSES 300 DAYS IN RUSSIAN DETAINMENT
Gershkovich, the 32-year-old son of Soviet immigrants, was arrested last March 29 while reporting in Yekaterinburg, the fourth-largest city in Russia, and was accused of being a spy, which the U.S. government has forcefully denied. The Wall Street Journal has also categorically denied the allegations, and the arrest is widely viewed as an attempt to leverage the U.S. into a high-profile prisoner swap.
He has been denied all his appeals and faces a likely conviction.
Gershkovich has since been held in the notorious Lefortovo prison in Moscow, spending roughly 90% of his day in a small cell, according to the WSJ.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands inside an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing to consider an appeal against his pre-trial detention on espionage charges in Moscow, Russia, October 10, 2023. (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/ File Photo)
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin floated a potential prisoner swap when asked about releasing Gershkovich.
"There is no taboo to settle this issue. We're willing to solve it," Putin said. "But there are certain terms being discussed via special services channels. I believe an agreement can be reached."
The Wall Street Journal issued a statement to Fox News saying, "We're encouraged to see Russia's desire for a deal that brings Evan home, and we hope this will lead to his rapid release and return to his family and our newsroom."
The State Department did not comment on Putin's remarks but reiterated that Gershkovich should be released immediately.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin recently floated a potential prisoner swap to release Gershkovich. (Sergei SAVOSTYANOV / POOL / AFP )
"He’s doing the best he can under the circumstances, and the circumstances are very hard," his mother Ella Milman said last month, adding that Lefortovo prison is "basically designed to isolate you and break you down."
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U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy has visited Gershkovich in prison and kept his family updated on his condition. His friends have also told Fox News Digital he's kept his sense of humor and tried to stay upbeat while languishing in custody.
Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine referenced by Biden, is serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia, also on spying charges that he and the U.S. have staunchly denied.
Fox News' Brian Flood and David Rutz contributed to this report.