On Friday, US President Joe Biden asked Moscow to "release" the American journalist working for the Wall Street Journal, Ivan Gershkovitch , who was arrested in Russia, while the newspaper called for the expulsion of Moscow's ambassador and Russian journalists from the United States.

Biden addressed the Russian government, saying, "Release him," after reporters asked him to comment on this issue as he was preparing to leave the White House for a tour of the southern United States.

The 31-year-old Russian-speaking reporter, Ivan Gershkovich, was arrested in Yekaterinburg in the Urals on charges of "espionage".

The Wall Street Journal said in an editorial published Thursday night that "the expulsion of the Russian ambassador from the United States and the Russian journalists working in it is the least that can be done."

And she considered that "the timing of the arrest appears to be a calculated provocation to embarrass the United States and intimidate the foreign press that is still working in Russia."

On Thursday, the Kremlin warned Washington against taking any retaliatory action against the Russian media operating in the United States after the arrest of the American journalist "in the act," according to Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday, "Regarding the request to expel all Russian journalists, the (Wall Street Journal) can say so, but it should not happen," considering that "there is no reason for that." He added that the American journalist was "caught red-handed (by espionage)" and that "the case is clear."

Gershkovich, known for his professionalism, denied the charges against him during a hearing in a Moscow court, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

The court said in a statement that the American journalist was in custody until May 29. The detention period can be extended pending a possible trial.

According to the Tass news agency, the case has been classified as "secret", which greatly limits the publication of information about it.

The only details available at this stage are the FSB's announcement that it had "thwarted illegal activity" when Ivan Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg in the Urals on an unspecified date.

His arrest comes in the context of increasing repression of the press in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, which has led to great tension in relations between Moscow and Washington.

The last exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Washington took place in December, when Russia handed over American basketball player Brittney Grainer, imprisoned for drug trafficking, in exchange for the release of arms dealer Viktor Bout imprisoned in the United States.

The White House condemned the journalist's arrest, describing what happened as "unacceptable," while US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expressed his "deep concern."

White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said Russia's "espionage charge" against Gershkovitch was "ridiculous".

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on Twitter that the bloc "condemns" Russia's arrest of US journalist Ivan Gershkovitch on charges of espionage, criticizing Moscow's "systematic disdain for press freedom".