credit – White House, retrieved from XJust before midnight on Thursday evening, a plane touched down in the US carrying several Americans who had been freed in a historic prisoner swap deal in cooperation with the Russian Federation.
It is quite simply the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, were among 5 other citizens of allied nations released by the Russians in return for the release of 8 Russian prisoners held in the US or by allies.
In addition to the 8 Americans and allies, the deal included negotiations for the release of 8 Russian political figures or activists jailed in Russia.
The runway at Andrews Airforce Base was a scene of tears and joy as Kurmasheva rushed into the arms of her husband and children, while Gershkovich was met by his parents. Whelan, who disembarked first, saluted his Commander-in-Chief, who in turn removed his lapel pin and placed it upon the marine’s shirt.
CNN described the negotiations as “swift” and took place in an undisclosed Middle Eastern city between CIA members and Russian officials who were more interested when the yearslong bargaining over imprisoned Americans had the pot unexpectedly sweetened, courtesy of German Chancellor Olav Schultz.
Russian assassin, Vadim Krasikov, would be released after being found guilty of murdering someone in Berlin.
The swap saw the US work with Slovenia, Germany, Turkey, Poland, Norway, and Russian ally Belarus, which Biden described as a “feat of diplomacy.”
“How can you not be proud to be American at a moment like that?” remarked Tom Nichols, a retired professor at the US Naval War College.
“To me, this is about the essence of who we are as a country,” Biden said to reporters on the tarmac.
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