Three Americans released from Russian detention, namely, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva have landed in the United States, following the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
Whelan, 54, had spent almost six years in Russian prisons after his arrest in Moscow. He was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges that he and the US government deny.
Gershkovich, 32, had been detained for over a year and was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage last month after a trial that the US government, WSJ and his supporters denounced as a sham.
Kurmasheva, 47, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of spreading false information about the Russian army.
They were greeted with tears and hugs from their joyous families at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were also on the tarmac to welcome them.
“I was absolutely convinced we could get it done,” Biden told reporters after watching the emotional family reunions.
Biden pointed to his relationships with heads of state, which aided the complex swap negotiations, and heralded his own efforts to rebuild alliances.
“I meant it when I said, ‘Alliances make a difference.’ They stepped up and took a chance for us, and it mattered a lot.”
Joe Biden
He said that the “toughest call” was not for the US but its allies.
“I asked them to do some things that were against their immediate interest… particularly Germany and Slovenia,” he stated, calling German Chancellor Olaf Scholz “incredible.”
Biden said that the release together was due to “trust” and “relationships.”
Biden’s emphasis on alliances and personal relationships as crucial elements in securing the deal cannot be overstated.
In an era where global alliances are often seen as fragile or even contentious, this successful negotiation demonstrates that diplomatic ties and mutual trust can still yield substantial results.
Critics might argue that such deals could inadvertently incentivize further detentions or create precedents that encourage adversaries to leverage human lives for political gains.
However, Biden rejected the idea that prisoner swaps could lead to other Americans being detained.
He asserted, “I don’t buy this idea of … let these people rot in jail because other people may be captured.”
Harris called the deal an “extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances.”
Putin Thought To Be Sending A Message
The complicated behind-the-scenes negotiations ultimately led to a prisoner swap that met Moscow’s key demand; releasing convicted Russian assassin, Vadim Krasikov and other criminals.
Tom Nichols, a staff writer at The Atlantic and a retired professor at the U.S. Naval War College, opined that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to send a message to those doing his bidding around the world: that he would rescue them if caught, and that they are valuable to him.
Putin’s government takes “human beings and puts them on a scale like slabs of meat, until they get the kind of the deal they want,” he told a news agency.
Nichols said that the Kremlin sent a stark warning to Westerners that those who step foot in Russia may become the next bargaining chip for another deal.
Meanwhile, a senior administration official defended the release of Krasikov as part of the deal.
“He was certainly the biggest fish that the Russians wanted back. Nobody’s turning a blind eye to his crimes and to his connection to Russian intelligence services,” the official said.
“But look, in order to secure the release of innocent people overseas and innocent Americans, you have to make some tough decisions,” the official added.
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