Russia-US prisoner swap: Biden hails relief of returning Evan Gershkovich in historic exchange
US president Joe Biden was surrounded by the families of those that have been released today as he spoke from the White House
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US president Joe Biden has described the “relief” he felt as three US citizens and one green card-holder were finally freed from Russian captivity today.
Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza are among the 16 prisoners freed from Russian captivity, the rest of which will be returning to Europe. In return, Russian murderers and cyber terrorists have been returned to Moscow.
Speaking from the White House alongside the families of the four that had been freed back to the US, Biden said: “This is an incredible relief for all the family members gathered here. It’s a relief to the friends and colleagues all across the country who have been praying for this day for a long time.”
He added that “friendship and diplomacy” had been key to the exchange.
“The deal that made this possible was the feat of diplomacy and friendship. Friendship, multiple countries helped get this done. They joined difficult, complex negotiations at my request, and I personally thank them all again.”
Russian Krasikov among prisoners exchanged in Ankara, Turkey says
Vadim Krasikov, a Russian who was convicted of murdering a Kremlin opponent in Germany in 2019, was among prisoners exchanged in Ankara, the Turkish presidency said.
It added that German mercenary Rico Krieger, jailed in Belarus, and Russian dissident Ilya Yashin, jailed in Russia, were also among those swapped.
Yashin also named as part of prisoner swap
Turkey’s presidency has also named Ilya Yashin, the Russian opposition figure, as among those inlcude in the major east-west swap today.
‘Enemies’ should stay away from Russia after release, Kremlin says
The Kremlin, commenting on a prisoner exchange with the West which took place on Thursday, said it hoped those who had left Russian jails, whom it described as “enemies”, would stay away, the state-run TASS news agency reported.
TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying he hoped to comment further later on Thursday.
“I believe that all our enemies should stay there (abroad), and all those who are not our enemies should return. That’s my point of view.”
Prisoners freed under deal
US journalist Evan Gershkovich and other Americans left a Russian aircraft moments ago at an airport in Turkey’s capital, Ankara.
British citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza, who has been detained for 843 days, was also released under the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War
“Today marks the end of a 843 day nightmare for Russian-British citizen and Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza, his family and close friends,” Mr Kara-Murza’s friend Bill Browder told The Independent.
White House confirms release
The United States and four allies reached a deal with Russia for their largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War, in a swap that includes the release of 16 people including US journalist Evan Gershkovich, the White House said on Thursday.
The Biden administration negotiated the complex trade with Russia and several other countries, agreeing to send eight prisoners held in the West back to Russia, including Vadim Krasikov, who had been serving a life sentence for killing a Chechen-Georgian dissident in Berlin.
Negotiated in secret for more than a year, the deal represents a major accomplishment for the parties and will be presented by the Biden administration as a marquee foreign policy success as the US presidential race enters its final months.
Biden statement
“Today, three American citizens and one American green-card holder who were unjustly imprisoned in Russia are finally coming home: Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza.
“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.
“Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty.
“Today, their agony is over. I am grateful to our Allies who stood with us throughout tough, complex negotiations to achieve this outcome— including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey.
“This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon. Our alliances make Americans safer.
“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.
“Still, too many families are suffering and separated from their loved ones, and I have no higher priority as President than bringing those Americans home.
“Today, we celebrate the return of Paul, Evan, Alsu, and Vladimir and rejoice with their families. We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world. And reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”
US secures release of more than a dozen political prisoners - Here’s how it happened
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that President Biden summoned family members of Gershkovich, Whelan, Kara-Murza and Kurmasheva to inform them of the news of the impending exchange early on Thursday.
He described the prisoner swap as “historic,” citing the number of individuals on both sides and the number of countries involved.
He added that the safe return of the 16 political prisoners is “the culmination of many rounds of complex, painstaking negotiations over many, many months.”
Sullivan told reporters that the administration’s efforts to bring home Whelan — who was detained just before Christmas in 2018 — and others wrongfully detained by Moscow have been “uniquely challenging” due to the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine.
“We’ve been working to secure Paul Whelan’s release since we came into office. He was detained before we came into office. These efforts were obviously made more complicated and new challenges were presented to us with the arrest of Evan Gershkovich in March of 2023, and Alsu Kurmasheva in June of 2023,” he said.
White House explains why FSB assassin Kraskiv was key to swap (1/2)
White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said it “became clear” to the Biden administration that Russia would not consent to releasing Whelan, Gershkovich or Kurmasheva without securing the release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian security agent serving a life sentence in Germany for murdering a Georgian citizen of Chechen descent who had received asylum in Germany after fighting Russian troops in Chechnya.
He told reporters that Biden had personally engaged with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to convince him to allow for the release of Krasikov in exchange for the Americans held by Russia, plus other political prisoners.
Sullivan also credited the governments of Norway, Slovenia and Poland for their willingness to release Russian prisoners held in their custody and said Biden’s team “including a lot of dedicated people at the NSC, the CIA, and the State Department” had engaged with those governments to make the massive prisoner swap a reality.
He also thanked the Turkish government for what he described as “critical logistical support” without which the deal could not be executed.
White House explains why FSB assassin Kraskiv was key to swap (2/2)
Asked about the propriety of arranging for the freedom of bad actors such as Krasikov and other Russian agents, a senior administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity said they would not discuss the specifics of each of the prisoners being returned to Russia.
“We we want to preserve the sanctity of diplomatic conversations, but it was a lot of intense diplomacy by Jake by our State Department colleagues, and certainly by the intelligence community to work with our international allies and partners from four different countries, as well as with our Russian interlocutors, to get the right mix here. And we believe that this is an appropriate deal that gets … 16 individuals out of Russian custody, and that’s important,” the official said.
On the matter of Krasikov, the official said the convicted murder is “certainly the biggest fish that the Russians wanted back” but they stressed that no one in the administration was “turning a blind eye” to his crimes or connections to Moscow’s intelligence services.
“In order to secure the release of innocent people, overseas and innocent Americans, you have to make some tough decisions. You have to make some tough calls. And this deal is no different than any other one that the President has presided over or led our administration through,” they said.
“But in the end, Paul, Evan, Alsu and Vladimir will come home and be back with their families. And that’s not insignificant.”
Watch live: Biden speaks after Evan Gershkovich freed in largest prisoner exchange with Russia since Cold War
Live: Biden speaks after Evan Gershkovich freed in prisoner exchange with Russia
Watch live as Joe Biden speaks after the United States and four allies reached a deal with Russia for their largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War, in a swap that includes the release US journalist Evan Gershkovich.
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