Today, August 1, US President Joe Biden officially announced the exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Washington. This was reported by UNN with reference to the statement of the White House leader in X.
Details
Today, three American citizens and one American green card holder who were unjustly imprisoned in Russia are finally returning home: Paul Whelan, Evan Hershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza. The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy
According to him, the United States managed to negotiate with Russia for the release of 16 people, including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their country.
He also confirmed that the exchange took place with the participation of a number of other countries and thanked them for their assistance.
Tam is grateful to our allies who stood by us throughout the difficult and challenging negotiations to reach this result, including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey. This is a clear example of why it is vital to have friends you can trust in this world
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According to WJS, Biden took up the political prisoner exchange deal when informed the world that was dropping out of the presidential race. Then, on July 21, he called the prime minister of Slovenia, whose country was providing two convicted Russian spies for the exchange, to obtain the pardon needed for the deal. to continue.
Subsequently, CIA Director William Burns traveled to Turkey to meet with his counterpart and finalize the logistics for the exchange.
Recall
On Thursday, August 1, the largest prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia since the Cold War took place at a Turkish airport. The released prisoners include journalists, politicians, and other citizens, a total of 24 people from both sides.