Aug. 2 (UPI) — Three American citizens released in a historic prisoner swap with Russia arrived in the United States late Thursday and were greeted on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala.
The plane touched down at 11:37 p.m. EDT Thursday at the Maryland base, hours after Biden announced that he had secured the release of U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
The prison swap involved 24 prisoners, 16 held by Russia, including five Germans and seven Russian political prisoners, some of whom worked with the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and eight Russians jailed in the United States, Germany, Norway Slovenia and Poland.
Whelan, who was arrested in Russia in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison for espionage in 2020, was the first to touch U.S. soil, descending from the stairs of the plane to grasp the out the outstretched hand of the president.
Gershkovich was the second to deplane followed by Kurmasheva, who was embraced by her crying daughters on the tarmac. They were both arrested last year amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, Gershkovich for espionage and Kurmasheva for spreading false information about the Russian army.
Biden told reporters who witnessed the deplaning that he feels “wonderful” and that the release of the Americans “was a long time coming.”
He credited the prisoner swap to diplomacy, stating the deal was made possible as a result of alliances.
“I meant what I said, alliances make a difference,” he said. “They stepped up, took a chance for us. And it mattered a lot.”
He said it was other countries, and not the United States, that had to make the tough calls as Biden explained he had asked them to “do some things that were against their immediate self interest.”
Germany and Slovenia in particular, he said.
Though specifics were not released, Slovenia released two Russian spies, according to the Slovenia Press Agency, while The Guardian reported that Berlin released imprisoned Russian hitman Vadim Krasikov.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin met with a slew of those released in the prisoner exchange. Video of the meeting shows he also greeted them at an airport.
Biden said he knew a deal was in place “awhile ago” but they needed to ensure all those involved were on the same page, while stating that “Slovenia made the right move at the right time.”
“It’s time to trust,” he said. “It matters. Other leaders trust you, you trust them you get can get things done. And that’s how this got done, with a lot of help.”
Harris credited the prisoner swap on Biden’s diplomatic skills to bring nations together.
“This is just 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 signification of diplomacy and strengthening alliances,” she said.
Earlier in the day, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that the final piece of the swap was completed the afternoon of July 21, a Sunday, in a call with Slovenia Prime Minister Robert Golob.
He also said Vladimir Kara-Murza — a Russian journalist with British citizenship who also holds a U.S. green card and was released Thursday — would be going to Germany, but with expectations that he will be in the United States soon.
He added that they were working on Navalny being involvement in the prisoner swap. Navalny died in a Russian prison mid-February.
According to a readout from the White House, Harris spoke to Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, on Thursday before the released Americans returned home.
Harris commended her for “her courage in continuing her husband’s work for justice and the rule of law in Russia.”
On X, Navalnaya listed the names of many of those who had been released Thursday, stating they had been “saved from Putin’s regime.”
“It was a huge, long and very difficult work, with negotiations spanning several years. In February, many different people came together for another attempt to save them all. And now, they are all free,” she said.
“It’s a joy to know them all out of captivity. Every released political prisoner is a huge victory and a reason to celebrate. No one should be held hostage by Putin, subjected to torture, or left to die in his prisons.”
She said they are still fighting for the release of Daniel Kholodny, Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser Igor Sergunin. Sullivan named Marc Fogel as an American detained by Russia they were still working to free.