Mad Vlad Putin held a press conference Thursday. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Putin said Russia wants “to reach an agreement” on the return of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich,

Gershkovich is in a Russian prison as he awaits trial on espionage allegations. Gershkovich is a Wall Street Journal reporter who is based in the Moscow bureau. The WSJ, the U.S. government, and Gershkovich deny he is a spy.

During a press conference Thursday, Putin was asked about the recent declaration by the Biden administration that the Russian government rejected a new offer aimed at freeing the American reporter, as well as former U.S. Marine and Michigan corporate-security executive Paul Whelan, who is also in Russian custody.

“It is not that we have refused to return them,” said the Russian president. “We want to reach an agreement, and these agreements must be mutually acceptable and must suit both sides. We have contacts with our American partners in this regard, and there is an ongoing dialogue.”

In his first public comments about Gershkovich, Putin added “It is not easy. I will not go into details, but in general, it seems to me that we are speaking a language that we both understand. I hope that we will find a solution.”

Putin is using Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine and Michigan corporate security executive, as leverage to make a deal for a prisoner swap. Putin received a notoriously evil Russian weapons broker back from custody in exchange for the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner. This now seems to be the playbook – Russia grabs an American citizen and then waits it out until Putin gets a prisoner swap he wants in exchange.

To recap, both Gershkovich and Whelan are being held over espionage charges. In Gershkovich’s case, he is accredited to work as a journalist by Russia’s Foreign Ministry. He was in the city of Yekaterinburg on March 29 on a reporting trip. He was taken by authorities and he has been held in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison ever since.

Paul Whelan was in Russia for a friend’s wedding. He was accused of espionage, convicted, and is serving a 16-year sentence. He, the U.S. government, and his family deny the charge.

Also on Thursday, Evan appeared in court for an appeal of last month’s ruling that extended his detention, at the request from the FSB to investigators. The Russian court upheld his detention which means he will remain in custody through January. He will be kept in custody until January 30 as he awaits trial. That will be 10 months since his arrest. Evan is 32-years-old.

The Wall Street Journal released a statement after Evan’s court appearance.

“Evan Gershkovich appeared in a Moscow City court today, where an appeal of the recent extension of his pre-trial detention was denied once again,” the Journal said in a statement. “While we expected this outcome, it’s important that we appeal these rulings to call out the absurd nature of the charge. Evan has been wrongfully detained for more than 250 days for simply doing his job as a journalist, and any portrayal to the contrary is fiction. We will stand with Evan and his family for as long as it takes and continue to demand his immediate release.”

People familiar with the subject say that the potential deal for Evan and Paul Whelan involves a prisoner swap. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the State Department have not issued comments on Putin’s remarks.

Putin said Thursday that “the American side must hear us and make an appropriate decision—one that suits the Russian side as well.” Russian officials hint that a deal isn’t likely to happen until Evan’s trial concludes. Experts say that can take many months.

We have to remember this is Putin, a man who is not a reliable partner of the United States, especially now while his war in Ukraine continues. Everything he says should be taken with a big grain of salt. According to the State Department, in recent weeks there have been good offers made for the release of the Americans and Putin has turned them all down.

Last week, Evan’s parents, immigrants from Russia, said they do not think Biden and his administration are doing all they can to secure Evan’s release.