17 Oct 2026
Rare Call Between Blinken, Lavrov Over Arrest of American Journalist In Russia
Washington D.C./03.04.23/Turan: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday held a rare call with Russia's Sergei Lavrov to press for the immediate release of an American journalist, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen assigned to the newspaper’s Moscow bureau, was arrested last week in Yekaterinburg on espionage charges.
Blinken has expressed his grave concern to Lavrov over the detention of the journalist, the State Department said in a readly of the call.
Separately, Blinken “urged the Kremlin to immediately release wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan,” who was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and convicted of espionage in 2020.
“The Secretary and Foreign Minister Lavrov also discussed the importance of creating an environment that permits diplomatic missions to carry out their work,” according to the readout.
Alex Raufoglu
Latest news
Latest newsBulgaria Asks NATO to Strengthen Its Defences Amid Black Sea Threats: Sofia Fears Growing Risks to Maritime Shipping
16.Oct.2026
Black Sea Shipping Risks Threaten Bulgaria’s 5 Million Tonnes of Wheat Exports
15.Oct.2026
Georgia’s Foreign Funding and Political Ban Laws Draw Criticism from the Venice Commission
15.Oct.2026
Kazakhstan Promotes a Caspian Green Energy Corridor: Astana Seeks New Routes to the European Market
14.Oct.2026
Inflation in Romania Accelerates to 6.61%: Rising Prices Increase Pressure on Households and the Economy
13.Oct.2026
Can Europe Protect the International Criminal Court from Trump’s Sanctions?
13.Oct.2026
Georgia’s Constitutional Court Continues Case on Banning Opposition Parties: Political Pluralism at Stake
12.Oct.2026
Azerbaijan and Iran Step Up Security Contacts Amid Hijab Protests
12.Oct.2026
Personnel Shortages Complicate Ukrainian Forces’ Rotation: Ukraine Faces Long-Term Challenges on the Front Line
11.Oct.2026
Trump Eases Sanctions on Russian Fuel After Talks with Putin: Kyiv Fears Boost to Moscow’s War Revenues
10.Oct.2026
Putin Seeks to Strengthen Russia’s Influence in the Post-Soviet Space Through the CIS
10.Oct.2026
Russia and the South Caucasus: External Pressure, Political Competition and a Crisis of Trust
10.Oct.2026
Peaceful Settlement Between Armenia and Azerbaijan: Moving from Declarations to Implementation
10.Oct.2026
Moldova Ready to Accept as Many Ukrainians as Necessary if Situation Worsens This Winter
09.Oct.2026
Turkmenistan Turns Avaza into a Regional Diplomatic Hub as Caspian, Central Asian and CIS Agendas Converge
08.Oct.2026