Asked about the two men’s cases by a New York Times reporter at his annual press conference, Putin said: “We want to reach an agreement, and these agreements must be mutually acceptable and must suit both parties.”

He said Russia had ongoing contacts with the US over the issue.

“It is not simple, I will not go into details now, but in general, it seems to me that we speak a language that is understandable to each other. I hope we will find a solution. But, I repeat, the American side must hear us and make an appropriate decision, one that suits the Russian side.”

In Washington, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said discussions were ongoing but Russia had rebuffed a serious proposal.

“There was one put forward and they rebuffed it,” Kirby told reporters.

State department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US wanted a deal.

“If Vladimir Putin is serious about this, all he has to do is look at the proposals that we have made to secure their release, which were significant proposals that were made in good faith,” Miller said.

Russia arrested Moscow correspondent Gershkovich on charges of spying in March. Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal, and the White House have all denied that he is a spy, or works for the US government.

Marine veteran Paul Whelan was arrested in 2018, convicted of spying for the US in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Whelan and the US government both deny the charges.

The US government considers both men to be wrongfully detained. The state department said on Dec. 5 that Russia had in recent weeks rejected a substantial new proposal for their release.