Evan Gershkovich’s parents received the first direct communication with their son since he was arrested two weeks ago in Yekaterinburg, Russia. He told them he is not losing hope. He even made a little joke about his mother’s cooking. The letter was hand-written in Russian, the language he speaks at home with his parents.

It must be a relief to know their son is alive. Ella and Mikhail Gershkovich emigrated from the Soviet Union separately in 1979. They met in New York City where they worked for the same company. They settled down in New Jersey and raised their two children, Evan and his sister Danielle. They understand very well what their son faces in a Russian prison. Mad Vlad Putin is a holdover from the days of the Soviet Union and the country Ella and Mikhail fled. When they broke their silence and spoke to a Wall Street Journal reporter about Evan’s arrest, they said they are remaining cautiously optimistic. Evan’s message to them is a similar one – he is remaining hopeful for his release. He tried to lessen their stress by making a joke about his mother’s cooking when he was growing up.

“I want to say that I am not losing hope,” he wrote in a brief, two-page note that his family in Philadelphia received on Friday. “I read. I exercise. And I am trying to write. Maybe, finally, I am going to write something good.”

“Mom, you unfortunately, for better or worse, prepared me well for jail food,” he wrote. “In the morning, for breakfast, they give us hot creamed wheat, oatmeal cereal or wheat gruel. I am remembering my childhood.”

Evan addressed the letter to his “dear family”. He referred to his sister by her family nickname, Duscia. His mother said she felt “great joy” in hearing from her son firsthand, not relying on the words of others. “These are my son’s words, not someone else telling me. And his spirit is shining.” It must be comforting to her that he sounds strong in his mindset to remain optimistic about how this horrible incident plays out.

To be clear, Evan is the first American journalist to be arrested in Russia since the end of the Cold War. It is an unacceptable escalation of an emboldened Putin poking his finger in the eye of Joe Biden. Biden has been relatively feckless in his reaction to Putin’s nefarious behavior so far. Since Putin invaded Ukraine, Putin has been adamant that he resents the support of the United States and NATO in Ukraine. Evan was doing his job reporting about Putin and the war in Ukraine, perhaps exposing the use of mercenaries. He has been charged with espionage for doing his job. Unlike Brittney Griner who was arrested and confessed to drug possession, a crime in Russia, Evan was doing his job.

Joe Biden leads from behind. In this case, what has he done? Secretary of State Blinken has spoken to his Russian counterpart but that hasn’t accomplished anything obvious to observers. Evan still has not even been granted a visit in prison by the American embassy staff. The State Department has declared Evan as “wrongfully detained” and that opens up additional resources for the department to use in trying to obtain Evan’s release. The State Department can now negotiate on behalf of Evan.

There is no transparency in Russia. All of Evan’s meetings in prison and his correspondence will be monitored by Russia’s security services. Court proceedings are held behind closed doors. Some reports confirm that Putin approved the arrest of the American journalist. Of course, he did. Putin rules Russia with an iron fist. Nothing happens without his approval. A story as big as the arrest of an American journalist – the first in about 40 years – is a headline Putin wanted to create in the Western world. He’s sending a message.

In the letter, Evan acknowledged receipt of a care package.

In the letter, Mr. Gershkovich confirmed he received a care package, arranged by a friend and containing sundries such as toiletries, slippers, clothes and pens, to ease his life in confinement at Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo prison, run by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, the successor to the KGB.

“I now have more clothes and stuff than mom and dad at home, I think,” he wrote.

Any small comforts are probably very welcome in such brutal surroundings. He ended the letter with a nod to the stress and emotions his family are going through since his arrest. He said they must want to smack him for being arrested. “Don’t worry. You will have your chance to do it,” he wrote. And he signed the letter with his nickname. “Until we meet soon. Write me. -Vanya.”

It’s time for our dazed and confused president to focus on bringing home American citizens being detained overseas. In this case, in particular, there is no crime. Evan was doing his job. Biden should be expelling Russian diplomats, lodging financial hardships against Russia, and essentially shunning Russia. Russian leadership should feel the pain of the consequences of Putin’s bad decisions. Biden should level strong actions against Russia, not work out another prisoner swap. Putin wants prisoner swaps for the release of Russian spies. Don’t humor him. He is emboldened by past deals, especially the one made for the release of Brittney Griner. The world’s most notorious arms dealer was released in exchange for her freedom and look what happened.