President Biden spoke Tuesday with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained by Russia since last month. The family said in a statement that the president assured them the United States is “doing everything in its power to bring him home as quickly as possible.” Earlier in the day, Biden told reporters that Russia’s detention of the journalist was “totally illegal” and that a court ruling upholding it was “out of bounds.”

The United States is still seeking consular access to Gershkovich, which has not yet happened as his detention is “pretty fresh,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said aboard Air Force One on Tuesday. The United States has categorized Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained,” a designation that grants the State Department more tools and authority to push for his release.

The Wall Street Journal has vehemently denied the espionage charges levied against the journalist. Rights groups and media organizations around the world also have decried the charges.

Here’s the latest on the Ukraine war and its ripple effects across the globe.

“The Russian flag was tearing at the hearts of our friends from Ukraine who have had friends and relatives killed in these horrendous attacks,” said Bill Bestpitch, who serves as treasurer of Roanoke Valley Sister Cities in Virginia. “We wanted to show our support — and that’s not a strong enough word for it. But how do we have sympathy with the people of Ukraine without sounding like we are blaming the people in Pskov we’re connected with?” he said, referring to Roanoke’s 31-year partnership with the Russian city of Pskov.

Natalia Abbakumova and Robyn Dixon contributed to this report.