Largest since Cold War. Biden confirms prisoner exchange with Russia
Photo: Joe Biden, President of the United States (Getty Images)
The West has reached an agreement with Russia on the release of 16 political prisoners. Three Americans and one green card holder are already on their way home, according to the Twitter (X) account of US President Joe Biden.
According to Biden, the following are returning to the US:
- Evan Gershkovich, Wall Street Journal reporter
- Paul Whelan, Marine Corps veteran
- Alsu Kurmasheva, Russian-American radio journalist
- Vladimir Kara-Murza, Washington Post journalist
“The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy. All told, we’ve negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia—including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country,” he added.
The head of the White House praised the efforts of allies who also participated in the complex negotiations to achieve this outcome. These include:
- Germany
- Poland
- Slovenia
- Norway
- Turkey
“And let me be clear: I will not stop working until every American wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world is reunited with their family. My Administration has now brought home over 70 such Americans, many of whom were in captivity since before I took office,” the US President added.
As noted by the American leader’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, this was the largest exchange by number of individuals since the Cold War.
Sullivan highlighted that the exchange list included a total of 24 prisoners.
Prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries
Today, August 1, a major prisoner exchange took place between Russia and Belarus on one side and Western countries on the other.
Details of this exchange can be found in the RBC-Ukraine material titled Russia and the West prepare prisoner exchange, likely largest since Cold War.
Meanwhile, the media has learned the names of those whom Russia received and returned in exchange with the West.
