Prisoners Exchange Between America and Russia Takes Place on US Territory
President Biden stated, “The deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship. Multiple countries helped get this deal.”
Three Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, returned to American soil late on Aug. 1 after an extensive prisoner swap with Russia.
A total of 24 prisoners have been exchanged as a result of negotiations between eight countries, with Turkey acting as the mediator. This has been described as the largest prisoner swap between East and West since the Cold War.
Gershkovich, Whelan, and Radio Free Europe journalist Alsu Kurmasheva arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland shortly before midnight and were greeted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in front of a cheering crowd.
They met with family members and wandered around on the tarmac before being escorted to Brooke Army Medical Centre in Texas for a medical check-up.
All three Americans vehemently deny charges brought against them by Russia, with Moscow accusing Gershkovich and Whelan of spying and Kurmasheva of spreading false information about the Russian military.
The White House shared that the trade had been worked on in secrecy for over a year and was negotiated between the United States, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Slovenia on one side, and Russia and Belarus on the other. Sixteen prisoners moved from Russia to the West, and eight were sent back to Russia from the West.
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A fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is a U.S. green card holder, was also among those released.
The other prisoners were Russian and German nationals who were released to Germany. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was intended to be part of the exchange.
Various other prisoners were part of the swap involving countries like Slovenia, Norway, Poland, and the United States. This exchange is not indicative of progress in other areas of U.S.-Russian relations.
Andrew Thornbrooke and Reuters contributed to this report.
