The United States (the U.S.) and Russia completed a 24-person prisoner swap on August 1, the largest in post-Soviet history, with Moscow releasing Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free, according to officials in Turkey, where the exchange took place.
Three freed Americans arrived at an Air Force Base outside Washington late at night to an emotional welcome from their families, President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.
It’s the latest exchange between Washington and Moscow in the past two years, following a December 2022 trade that brought WNBA star Brittney Griner back to the U.S. in exchange for notorious arms trafficker Viktor Bout. Russia meanwhile secured the freedom of its own nationals convicted of serious crimes in the West.
It “feels wonderful” to welcome the freed Americans to U.S. soil: Joe Biden
On a warm, steamy night, the freed Americans lingered on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews to soak up the moment of their return to the U.S.
They took selfies with family members and friends, shared hugs with Mr. Biden and Kamala Harris, patted loved ones on the back and smothered them with kisses. At one point, Mr. Biden gave Paul Whelan the flag pin off his own lapel. President Joe Biden said it “feels wonderful” to welcome the freed Americans to U.S. soil.
And he gave giving special credit to the cooperation of nations including Germany and Slovenia for helping to make the global prisoner swap work, saying they agreed to difficult things that were “against their self-interests.”
Speaking on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Mr. Biden rejected the idea that such swaps could lead to other Americans being detained. “I don’t buy this idea of … let these people rot in jail because other people may be captured,” the President said.
Vice-President Kamala Harris called the deal an “extraordinary testament to the importance of having a President who understands the power of diplomacy.”
Three Americans stepped off a plane and touched U.S. soil for the first time since they were freed in a complex 24-person prisoner exchange with Russia.
Journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, along with fellow American Paul Whelan, landed shortly before midnight at a U.S. air base outside Washington.
A plane believed to be carrying three Americans freed in a prisoner swap with Russia after years in captivity has landed at a U.S. air base.
The jet touched down shortly before midnight at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. The Americans landed nearly 12 hours after leaving Turkey, where they were among 24 exchanged in the largest post-Soviet prisoner swap. They were shown smiling on board the jet in a photo released by the White House.
All arrived safe and sound: Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed Germans and Russians freed in the prisoner swap to Germany and said he had “very moving” conversations with them.
Mr. Scholz said after they landed at Cologne/Bonn Airport on Thursday that “all arrived safe and sound” and they will undergo health checks in the coming days.
“Many did not expect this to happen now and are still full of the feelings that are connected with suddenly being free,” he said, adding that “many feared for their health and their lives.”
The 16 prisoners freed by Russia and Belarus included five German citizens, and the deal involved Germany deporting to Russia Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life prison sentence for what judges concluded was a Russian state-ordered killing in Berlin in 2019.
Mr. Scholz said: “I think this is the right decision. And if you had any doubts, then you lose them after speaking with those who are now free.”
The German leader said it was “a special moment for me, a moment that certainly has also very much intensified the friendship between the U.S and Germany.”
The family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich says in a statement that they “can’t wait give him the biggest hug and see his sweet and brave face up close.”
The family says that no one should have to go through what they did and that it’s hard to describe what it feels like to have their son come home.
Vice-President Harris told reporters that the newly released Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich and U.S. green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza showed “incredible courage” after being “unjustly held in Russia.”
Ms. Harris said she also spoke on August 1 with Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of deceased Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny died while imprisoned by the Russian government. As part of the swap, three people who worked with him were also released.
Ms. Harris told reporters before boarding her plane in Houston that she told Navalnaya, “The United States stands with all of those who are fighting for freedom in Russia.” Three newly freed Americans are shown smiling widely in a photo made public after their release from Russian custody on Thursday.
The photo, given to news outlets by the White House, shows Americans Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan in a plane following their release in a complex multinational prisoner exchange with Russia.
All three are smiling and appear far more relaxed than in a video released by Russian security services just hours earlier, where they were still being transferred into American hands.
The White House gave no details on the circumstances of the photo. It shows other unidentified people holding an American flag just behind them.
Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, disparaging the Biden administration’s prisoner exchange with Russia on Thursday, calling American negotiators “an embarrassment.”
Mr. Trump asked in his post if the U.S. had paid cash for Thursday’s releases, something National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan specifically denied. He also asked if the U.S. was handing over “murderers, killers, or thugs?’ The Russians freed by Western countries as part of the deal, in fact, included a convicted hitman who had been imprisoned in Germany.
Mr. Trump prides himself on his success in brokering the release of Americans held by other nations. On Thursday, it was President Joe Biden congratulating the families of newly freed Americans headed home, thanks to his administration’s successful negotiations.
“Our ‘negotiators’ are always an embarrassment to us!” Mr. Trump wrote. “They’re calling the trade ‘complex’ – That’s so nobody can figure out how bad it is!” he wrote.
European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the released prisoners while criticising Moscow.
“I welcome the release of 16 people unjustly jailed by the Russian regime,” Mr. Michel said on the social platform X. “Alsu, Evan, Paul, Vladimir and others, you belong home with your families and loved ones! I thank all those, also in Europe, who helped to make the diplomatic deal possible. EU will continue supporting and standing for all those illegally detained in Russia and elsewhere.”
Ms. Von der Leyen hailed “the release of innocent citizens from EU & US and upright Russian democrats held captive in Russia.”
She hit out at Russia, adding: “The Kremlin swapped them for convicted criminals and murderers. This shows the stark difference. This is a moment of great joy for all who have fought for their freedom.”
President Vladimir Putin met the returning ex-prisoners on the tarmac of Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport as they descended from their plane. Mr. Putin stood at the foot of the mobile stairs and briefly embraced each returnee.
The group then moved into the terminal, where Mr. Putin made brief remarks. “You will all be nominated for state awards. We will see each other again and talk about your future. Now, I want to congratulate you on your return to your homeland,” he said.
“In a rare telephone conversation, President Joe Biden thanked Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his role in facilitating a “smooth” prisoner exchange,” according to a statement from Erdogan’s office.
