Gershkovich requested interview with Putin in Russian form finalizing his release

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich requested an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a form he had to complete to finalize his release, according to a new report from the Journal.

Before being released as part of a major prisoner exchange, Gershkovich had to officially ask for presidential clemency. On that form, Gershkovich inquired if the Russian president would consider doing an interview, the Journal reported just after he and others were exchanged.

Gershkovich was freed Thursday alongside former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara-Murza, five Germans and seven Russian citizens.

“Today, we celebrate the return of Paul, Evan, Alsu, and Vladimir and rejoice with their families,” President Biden said in a statement. “We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world. And reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”

In a Thursday letter, the Journal’s editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, thanked Biden and his administration “for working with persistence and determination to bring Evan home rather than see him shipped off to a Russian work camp for a crime he didn’t commit.”

“We are also grateful to the other governments that helped bring an end to Evan’s nightmare, in particular the German government that played such a critical role,” Tucker continued.

“We know the U.S. government is keenly aware, as are we, that the only way to prevent a quickening cycle of arresting innocent people as pawns in cynical geopolitical games is to remove the incentive for Russia and other nations that pursue the same detestable practice,” Tucker added.