The Biden administration made a yuuuge offer to Russia in an attempt to free two American detainees, Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. But, shocker, Russia said no thanks! Typical Russia, right? The State Department didn’t give any juicy details about the offer, but they did make it clear that they won’t stop trying to get those good ol’ American boys back home.
Russia rejects U.S. offer to bring home jailed Americans Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovichhttps://t.co/ie5fRUKKXn pic.twitter.com/u3bm9YwQmZ
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) December 5, 2023
Now, let’s talk about these guys. Whelan, a tough guy from Michigan, got himself locked up in Russia back in 2018 on some serious charges that the U.S. government and Whelan himself say are a load of baloney. And then we got Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, who got nabbed in Russia while just doing his job. Both of these guys have been declared as being held unfairly. Like, come on, Russia, give these guys a break already!
The State Department is really going to bat for these fellas, saying they did everything they could to make a deal. They even brought up that time they tried to get WNBA star Brittney Griner out of Russia, but even that didn’t work out for Whelan. It’s like one step forward and two steps back with Russia, am I right?
But hey, the Biden administration isn’t giving up. They’re gonna keep trying to bring Whelan and Gershkovich back home where they belong. It’s a big priority for them, and they’re not about to let Russia off the hook for holding these guys hostage.