Joe Biden has a major hostage situation on his hands. The media won’t talk about it.
And now President Biden’s hostage situation has new shocking developments you need to hear about.
Maybe the biggest failure of the Biden administration that has been talked about the least has been his failure to bring home hostages who are being wrongfully detained in enemy territories throughout the world.
Joe Biden has had to resort to negotiating with terrorists like those in Iran to get Americans back safely.
The hostage situation with the most at stake right now is likely Evan Gershkovich.
Gershkovich was wrongly thrown in prison by the Russians earlier this year on charges of espionage and being an agent and informant for the United States.
Gershkovich’s case is so important because this is the first time that an American has been detained in Russia on charges of espionage since the 1980s.
What’s sad is that the Biden administration seems to be no closer to securing Evan Gershkovich’s freedom. Instead, they are just offering him visits from the U.S. Ambassador to Russia.
On Monday, Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich, who has been held in Russia since the beginning of the year, met with United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation Lynne Tracy.
Tracy has previously paid two visits to Gershkovich in Lefortovo Prison since his arrest in March. There were differences of opinion over Gershkovich’s level of communication with Washington during her last visit, which took place in July.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said that “Ambassador Tracy reported that Evan continues to appear in good health and remains strong despite the circumstances.”
On March 29, officials from the Russian Federation’s Federal Security Service apprehended the 31-year-old journalist en route to Yekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage.
He is the only American journalist to be detained in Russia since the Cold War ended, and he, The Wall Street Journal, and the United States have all denied that he is a spy or has worked for the government in any capacity.
The U.S. Department of State has concluded that Gershkovich was wrongfully arrested and is now waiting for trial. This label is crucial for any future prisoner exchange negotiations between Washington and Beijing.
Vice President Joe Biden told reporters in Europe last month, “I’m serious about doing all we can to free Americans who are being illegally held in Russia or, for that matter, anywhere else, and that process is underway.”
Gershkovich has received support from both houses of Congress in the United States. In June, the House passed a resolution demanding that Russia release him immediately and grant him consular access.
While espionage convictions in the country entail a prison penalty of 10–20 years, legal experts have informed The Journal that it could be a while before Gershkovich goes to trial.
Thus far, Russia has not signaled any willingness to work with the U.S. federal government to free Evan Gershkovich from being held hostage.
The Biden administration has also confirmed that there has not been any significant progress to secure Gershkovich’s freedom.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
