Biden thanks Germany for help with prisoner exchange with Russia
Photo: US President Joe Biden (Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the "significant concessions" made in the prisoner swap between Russia and the West. The German government stated that the decision to release FSB hitman Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence, was a difficult one for Berlin, according to CNN.
Biden stated that the prisoner exchange between Russia and the West required "significant concessions" from Germany, for which he is grateful to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“The demands they (Russia - ed.) were making of me required me to get some significant concessions from Germany which they (Germany - ed.) originally concluded they could not do because of the person in question (Krasikov - ed.),” Biden said.
However, he noted that eventually, everyone agreed, including not just Germany, but also Poland, Slovenia, and Turkey.
The US President also mentioned that Germany did not ask for anything in return for its cooperation.
Biden said that such agreements are accompanied by strict requirements and there are never any guarantees, but nothing is more important than protecting Americans at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that the decision to release Vadim Krasikov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Vadim Krasikov, was not easy for Berlin.
“The German government did not take this decision lightly. The state’s interest in carrying out the prison sentence of a convicted criminal was weighed against the freedom, physical well-being and – in some cases – ultimately the lives of innocent people imprisoned in Russia and those unjustly politically imprisoned," he said.
Prisoner exchange between Russia and the West
On August 1, a major prisoner exchange took place between Russia, the US, and Germany.
The exchange was facilitated with the help of Turkey in Ankara. A total of 26 individuals were exchanged, who were imprisoned in seven different countries: the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus.
As part of the operation, 10 hostages, including 2 children, were handed over to Russia, 13 hostages were given to Germany, and 3 hostages were transferred to the US.
Among the prisoners received by Russia was Vadim "Sokolov" Krasikov, an FSB assassin who, in 2019, murdered Chechen field commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Germany and was serving a life sentence.
However, according to reports, German investigators are dissatisfied with the release of Krasikov as part of the exchange.
For more details on the prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, read the material by RBC-Ukraine.
