On the one-year anniversary of the Russian detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, President Joe Biden said the U.S. is working every day to secure his release.

President's Statement

“Journalism is not a crime, and Evan went to Russia to do his job as a reporter — risking his safety to shine the light of truth on Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement Friday.

Biden's Admiration

Biden told reporters later Friday that he held Gershkovich in high regard. “I admire the hell out of him,” Biden said before he traveled from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to the Camp David presidential retreat. “We're not giving up.”

Detention Details

Gershkovich was arrested while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, alleges he was acting on U.S. orders to collect state secrets but provided no evidence to support the accusation, which he, the Journal and the U.S. government deny. Washington designated him as wrongfully detained.

Court Proceedings

A recent court hearing offered little new information on Gershkovich's case. He was ordered to remain behind bars pending trial at least until June 30, the fifth extension of his detention.

Front Page Tribute

On Friday, there was a giant blank space on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, with an image at the top of the page of Gershkovich in the newspaper's signature pencil drawing and a headline that read: “His Story Should be Here.”

Global Support

Biden said in the statement that he would never give up hope. “We will continue working every day to secure his release," the Democratic president said. "We will continue to denounce and impose costs for Russia’s appalling attempts to use Americans as bargaining chips. And we will continue to stand strong against all those who seek to attack the press or target journalists — the pillars of free society.”