'No doubt' WSJ reporter wrongfully detained by Russia, Blinken says: Ukraine live updates

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that he has “no doubt” Russia has wrongfully detained a Wall Street Journal reporter arrested last week on espionage charges.

Blinken said the legal process to formally determine Evan Gershkovich's detention would be completed soon, elevating his case with the Biden administration.

"I’ll let that process play out," Blinken said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. “In my mind, there is no doubt that he is being wrongfully detained by Russia."

On Sunday, Blinken had a rare phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and urged Moscow to immediately release Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, who has been held since 2018. Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison; Gershkovich is being held pending trial.

Russian lawyers for Gershkovich, the son of Soviet immigrants, have appealed his arrest, and the Journal has adamantly denied Moscow's spy claims.

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Developments:

►White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov was summoned to the State Department on Thursday, the day Gershkovich was arrested.

►A 13-year-old Russian girl sent to an orphanage after drawing an antiwar sketch at school has left the facility and rejoined her estranged mother, the Kremlin said. Maria Moskalyova was taken away from her father, who was convicted of discrediting the Russian military and sentenced to two years in prison. The parents had long been separated.

►94% of Ukrainians hold negative views of the Russian Federation, according to a sociological survey by the Ukrainian Razumkov Center. Even among Ukrainians who communicate primarily in Russian, 88% had negative views of Ukraine's neighbor.

Kyiv may be willing to negotiate over Crimea, Ukrainian official says

Ukraine may be willing to negotiate the fate of Russian-occupied Crimea if its forces are victorious in the spring counteroffensive that's expected in the coming weeks, a high-ranking Ukrainian official said, according to the Financial Times.

“If we will succeed in achieving our strategic goals on the battlefield and when we will be on the administrative border with Crimea, we are ready to open [a] diplomatic page to discuss this issue,” Andriy Sybiha, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, told the British newspaper.

Zelenskyy has maintained his country will recapture Crimea, a peninsula illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, as part of his promise to liberate all occupied Ukrainian territory. Sybiha did not discount doing so by military means, but his remarks provide a rare sign Kyiv may be open to negotiation, which Zelenskyy has hinted at regarding Crimea.

However, after the Kremlin claimed annexing four Ukrainian provinces in September, Zelenskyy signed a decree declaring it was "impossible'' to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China downplays ties to Russia as Macron makes pitch to Xi

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a Chinese diplomat downplayed the growing ties between his country and Russia. Macron said he wants to “engage China toward a shared responsibility for peace and stability” in Ukraine and elsewhere. Topics of discussion could include condemnation of nuclear arms, support for the protection of civilian infrastructure and rejection of the abduction of children.

Macron spoke with President Joe Biden ahead of the trip about their "common desire to engage China to accelerate the end of the war," the French government said.

Kirby said that given the Chinese relationship with Russia, "We'd like to see them put more pressure on Mr. Putin to end this war. And if they really do believe in a peace, a sustainable peace, then they can do that."

Meanwhile, China’s ambassador to the European Union dismissed Russia and China’s much-discussed declaration of a “no limits” friendship. Fu Cong told The New York Times that China was not on Russia’s side in the war, had not provided military assistance to Russia and had not recognized its annexation of Crimea, the Donbas and other Ukrainian land.

"'No limit’ is nothing but rhetoric," he told The Times.

Putin accuses West of aiding Ukrainian sabotage

Western intelligence agencies have provided support for Ukraine's acts of sabotage, Putin told members of his Security Council on Wednesday, urging his officials to confront them “harshly and effectively.''

Putin focused on shelling and terror attacks on the four Ukrainian provinces the Kremlin illegally annexed in September, where several Moscow-appointed officials have been killed and wounded in bombings and other surprise attacks.

“There are reasons to believe that the capabilities of third countries, Western special services, have been involved in preparation of acts of sabotage and terror attacks,” Putin said, without providing evidence.

Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has provided Ukrainian forces information since the early days of the war to help them defend their country and regain territory taken during the Russian invasion. He declined to give details but added: "We do not enable nor do we encourage the Ukrainians to strike outside of Ukraine."

Zelenskyy gets deals, award on trip to Poland, but concedes danger in Bakhmut

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a productive state visit to Poland on Wednesday, getting new pledges of military and economic cooperation and even an award.

Zelenskyy said his country would “extend a hearty welcome” to Polish companies seeking to contribute to Ukraine's postwar reconstruction, and he signed agreements for infrastructure development that would provide opportunities for Polish businesses.

His Polish counterpart, President Andrzej Duda, said Warsaw is working on delivering 10 Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, in addition to the four it has already handed over. Duda also presented Zelenskyy with Poland's highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle.

But during a joint news conference with Duda, Zelenskyy also conceded the possibility of pulling his troops out of the eastern city of Bakhmut, the site of fierce fighting over eight months as Russian forces attempt to close off all access roads.

"If there is a moment of even hotter events and the danger that we may lose personnel due to the encirclement, there will certainly be corresponding correct decisions of the general on the ground,” he said.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine Russia war live updates: Blinken defends WSJ reporter