Americans Gershkovich and Whelan released from Russia after historic prisoner swap
What we know now
Historic prisoner swap: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan are now in US custody after the biggest prisoner exchange between the US and Russia since the Cold War. President Joe Biden celebrated the release and is set to deliver remarks at noon ET. Families of the American prisoners are at the White House to meet with the president, a source says.
Other released prisoners: Turkey said it played a mediator role in the prisoner swap, which involved 24 detainees and seven countries. German national Rico Krieger, imprisoned in Belarus, Russian dissident Ilya Yashin, convicted Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, jailed in Germany, and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva were also part of the exchange. See a full list of who was freed here.
Complicated negotiations: Thursday’s massive swap was the result of complicated behind-the-scenes negotiations involving the US, Russia, Belarus and Germany ultimately leading Berlin to agree to release Krasikov, Moscow’s key demand. The deal ends a nightmare that lasted more than five years for Whelan and more than a year for Gershkovich. Both were designated by the US as wrongfully detained.
Whelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva are on their way back to the US, Blinken says
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that three Americans are now on their way back to the US after a massive US-Russia prisoner swap.
“Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, and Alsu Kurmasheva are now on their way back to the United States from Russia. Through the extraordinary efforts of countless people in the State Department and across our government, the United States was able to strike an agreement to secure their freedom, as well as that of Vladimir Kara-Murza and twelve others held prisoner inside Russia,” Blinken said in a statement.
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Blinken thanked five countries for their support in this historic deal.
“We are grateful for the support we had from a number of our allies who made this deal possible, in particular Germany, Poland, Norway, and Slovenia. We further appreciate the Turkish government providing a location for the safe return of these individuals to the United States and Germany,” Blinken said.
Blinken said that he has had many “difficult conversations” in recent years when he “told the families of those wrongfully detained in Russia that we would not forget them.”
“I know there are many times over those years where they have wondered if our work would ever bear fruit. But I also know that they never gave up hope, and neither did we,” Blinken said.
Blinken also reiterated that pledge to American families whose loved ones are not coming home today: “We will not forget you, and we will not rest until you see your loved ones again,” he said.
https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/prisoner-swap-russia-us/index.html
