A large-scale multicountry prisoner swap organized by the Biden administration resulted in the release Thursday of three Americans and one U.S. green card holder, who the U.S. said were unjustly held prisoner in Russia.
The released American citizens were Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained for 16 months; Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for the U.S. government-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who was arrested last October; and Paul Whelan, a former Marine who was held prisoner for nearly six years.
“Now the brutal ordeal is over and they’re free,” President Joe Biden said in remarks from the White House, where he was surrounded by family members of the freed Americans.
“Moments ago, the families and I were able to speak to them on the telephone from the Oval Office,” Biden said. “They were flown to Turkey and soon they’ll be wheels up on their way home to see their families.”
Many lawmaker offices have focused for years and months on pushing the Biden administration to prioritize securing the release of the wrongfully detained Americans, including Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, D-Pa., whose district includes the parents of Gershkovich.
“After 16 grueling months, I am thankful that Evan is finally coming home,” Boyle said. “My constituents Mikhail and Ella Gershkovich have been forced to endure the unimaginable, and I hope that their family can now begin to heal.”
The large prisoner swap resulted in 24 people in total being released: 16 released to the U.S. and Germany and eight released to Russia, the president said. The swap involved multiple smaller agreements negotiated by the U.S. with allied nations Germany, Poland, Norway and Slovenia to release Russians they held in their own prison systems.
Biden thanked the NATO allies for the “bold and brave decisions” they made to release the Russians “justifiably” being held prisoner in their countries.
“This still would not have been made possible without our allies. …They all stepped up and they stood with us,” Biden said.
The prisoners released back to Russia include Vadim Krasikov, who was sentenced to life in prison in Germany after he was convicted of the 2019 assassination in a Berlin park of a Chechen separatist fighter; and a Russian married couple who pleaded guilty in Slovenia on Wednesday to acting as undercover spies, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Some of Biden’s comments appeared to be aimed at members of the Republican Party’s growing isolationist wing and GOP presidential ticket of former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, both of whom have routinely criticized the value of European allies.
“For anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do. They matter. And today is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world, friends you can trust, work with, and depend upon especially in matters of great consequence and sensitivity like this,” Biden said. “Our alliances make our people safer and we begin to see that again today.”
The announcement also cut against assertions made by Trump, who claimed that only he could secure the release of Gershkovich and that all it would take was for him to be elected in November.
“Evan Gershkovich, the Reporter from The Wall Street Journal, who is being held by Russia, will be released almost immediately after the Election, but definitely before I assume Office. He will be HOME, SAFE, AND WITH HIS FAMILY,” Trump said in a post on social media in May. “Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me, but not for anyone else, and WE WILL BE PAYING NOTHING!”
Lawmakers react
In a joint statement, Senate’s No. 2 Democratic leader, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, and Senate Foreign Relations Europe subcommittee Chair Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire pointed out the role that the Biden administration’s focus on nurturing the U.S. alliance network had played in securing the release of the Americans.
“This agreement is a culmination of years of work as well as close coordination with our allies like Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey,” Durbin and Shaheen said. “All these countries played a key role in securing their safe return. It’s another reason why maintaining and strengthening our alliances around the world is so important.”
The U.S.-negotiated swap also included the release of seven Russians who were imprisoned by Moscow for their pro-democracy and human rights activism.
The released Russian political prisoners include U.S. green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza, a well-known figure on Capitol Hill. The Russian dissident survived multiple poisoning attempts and was a pallbearer at the 2018 funeral of former Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Despite the threats to his life, Kara-Murza believed it was important to continue to return to Russia where he was most recently arrested in April 2022 for condemning the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It also says a lot about us that this deal includes the release of Russian political prisoners. They stood up for democracy and human rights,” Biden said. “The United States helped secure their release as well. That’s who we are in the United States. We stand for freedom, for liberty, for justice, not only for our own people but for others as well.”
House Intelligence ranking member Jim Himes, D-Conn., said in a statement that the exchange made him “proud to be a part of a nation that so highly values political freedom of expression within and beyond our borders.”
“The administration went beyond restoring the freedom of Americans and our allies, but also obtained the release of Russian political prisoners who were unjustly detained by Putin – a choice that exemplifies our commitment to democracy, decency, and human rights,” Himes said.
Not included in the prisoner swap was American Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania educator who was arrested in Russia in August 2021 and sentenced to 14 years for marijuana possession. A bipartisan group of Senate and House Pennsylvania lawmakers said they were disappointed he was not included.
Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, GOP Reps. Mike Kelly and Guy Reschenthaler; and Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio requested that any potential prisoner swap negotiations with the Russian Federation include Fogel.
“Marc is a Pennsylvania teacher with severe health issues who has been unjustly imprisoned in a Russian prison for three years, and as the congressional members who represent Marc and his family, we have been pushing to bring Marc home as quickly as possible,” the group said.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said that while he was glad that the Americans were freed, he remained concerned about further incentivizing the practice that is known as “hostage diplomacy.”
“Continuing to trade innocent Americans for actual Russian criminals held in the U.S. and elsewhere sends a dangerous message to Putin that only encourages further hostage taking by his regime,” McCaul said.
He also called for the release of Fogel and Ksenia Karelina, a U.S.-Russian dual national, who was detained in Russia earlier this year after she was accused of treason for making a small donation to a Ukrainian charity.
Negotiation work
Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement said he and the administration remained committed to securing the release of all detained Americans.
“My pledge to the families of those still separated from their families is the same that I made to those returning home today. We will not forget you, and we will not rest until you see your loved ones again,” Blinkin said.
Biden applauded the work of the U.S. officials who put in long hours, almost always behind the scenes, for years and months to make Wednesday’s prisoner swap happen.
“All Americans can take pride in what we’ve achieved today,” Biden said.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan became visibly emotional and choked up when he spoke to reporters Thursday about the prisoner swap, calling it a “very good day.” He also said the administration is “actively working” to secure Fogle’s release from Russia.
“I want to say that this is the culmination of a monumental level of effort and level of skill by my teammates across the national security enterprise,” Sullivan said. “These are dedicated talented professionals, who are not in the headlines, who don’t get to stand at a podium like this one. And it was at the president’s direction that they built and pulled off the most intricate expansive deal of its kind in memory.”
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