Putin Declines Interview with Recently Freed Journalist

President Vladimir Putin has declined an interview request from Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was recently released from a Russian prison. Gershkovich, convicted under disputed espionage charges, had sought the interview following his release in a major East-West prisoner exchange.

President Vladimir Putin has shown no interest in granting an interview to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was released from Russian prison last month. This decision extends to other Western media outlets as well, according to the Kremlin's statement on Monday.

Gershkovich, who faced espionage charges in Russia — charges strongly denied by him, his newspaper, and Washington — requested an interview with the Kremlin leader upon his release during a significant East-West prisoner swap on August 1. The Wall Street Journal reported that Gershkovich made the request, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday that there is no current interest in such an interview.

Peskov added, 'In order for there to be an interview with foreign media, and a specific one at that, we need to have an occasion. So far, we don't see such an occasion.' This stance comes in the wake of many Western journalists leaving Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

(With inputs from agencies.)