The three Individuals, who had all been imprisoned in Russia on expenses criticized by the Biden administration as illegitimate, had been returning house after the largest prisoner trade because the Chilly Struggle. Biden and Harris greeted them shortly earlier than midnight on Thursday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the place they had been flown after the trade occurred in Turkey.
The three have since landed in San Antonio, the place they are going to spend time on the Brooke Military Medical Middle for medical checks. The middle has a reintegration program that has handled different freed detainees in recent times, together with WNBA participant Brittney Griner, who was held by Russia, and Travis King, who was held by North Korea.
Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Avenue Journal, was detained in March final 12 months and accused of spying for the US. Whelan, a safety advisor and former Marine, was arrested by Russian authorities in December 2018 and convicted of espionage in 2020. Kurmasheva, an editor with the U.S.-funded, editorially impartial Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained in June 2023 and sentenced this summer time to 6½ years in a Russian penal colony on a cost of spreading false details about the Russian navy.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian journalist, writer and opposition politician who holds U.S. everlasting residency — and who received a Pulitzer Prize this 12 months for columns revealed in The Washington Publish — will return to the US after reuniting together with his household in Germany, White Home officers stated.
They had been amongst 24 individuals freed in an trade of prisoners held in seven nations — Russia and Belarus on one facet, and the US, Germany, Slovenia, Poland and Norway on the opposite. On the Russian facet, 16 prisoners had been launched, together with one who had been imprisoned in Belarus, with German and Americans and Russian dissidents among the many group, nearly all of whom had been flown to Germany. Russia acquired eight individuals in return, together with murderer Vadim Krasikov, who had been imprisoned by Germany, and two hackers and an alleged smuggler with intelligence hyperlinks held in the US.
President Biden, wanting elated, jogged over to reporters after greeting the three freed Individuals, expressing “nice satisfaction” and aid that they had been house.
Whelan’s sister, Kurmasheva’s husband and daughters, and Gershkovich’s dad and mom, sister and brother-in-law had been on the reunion. Additionally there have been members of the Wall Avenue Journal employees, together with editor in chief Emma Tucker. The newspaper had run a 16-month strain marketing campaign to have its reporter introduced house. “At this time is a joyous day,” Tucker stated earlier.
The White Home has framed the deal as a diplomatic coup for Biden. However the swap additionally has raised questions in regards to the knowledge of taking part in negotiations with regimes that might imprison harmless individuals for leverage.
At Andrews, Biden responded to the criticism that the prisoner swap may present incentive to unfriendly nations to detain Individuals for their very own benefit: “I don’t purchase this concept that you simply’re … going to let these individuals rot in jail as a result of different individuals could also be captured.”
He was additionally requested whether or not he had a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Cease,” was his reply. To the American individuals, he stated, “There’s nothing past our capability after we act collectively — nothing, nothing, nothing.”
Harris additionally addressed reporters, saying it was a “excellent evening.” She careworn the “significance of constructing alliances and constructing the energy that we have now via diplomacy.”
Earlier than chatting with reporters, Biden gave a U.S. flag pin from his personal lapel to Whelan, who spent 2,043 days in detention, in accordance with his household.
“President Biden gave me his pin,” Whelan advised reporters later in Texas, describing how they had been chatting when Biden “took it off and gave it” to him.
He added that he appreciated all of the help from U.S. officers and the “1000’s and 1000’s” of letters he acquired from individuals all over the world whereas in detention.
Whelan advised reporters his launch “didn’t really feel actual till we had been flying over England.” He added: ” I’m glad I’m house. I’m by no means going again there once more.”
Kurmasheva hugged and kissed members of the family after touchdown, whereas Gershkovich joked that Russian intelligence leaders hugged him and didn’t wish to let him go — earlier than including that he ought to be cautious about what he says on digicam.
Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) welcomed the detainees’ return in a assertion late Thursday, however warned: “With out critical motion to discourage additional hostage-taking by Russia, Iran, and different states hostile to the US, the prices of hostage diplomacy will proceed to rise.”
The Brooke Military Medical Middle, the place the group was taken, has taken care of different former hostages. After her launch from a Russian penal colony in late 2022, Griner thanked the middle’s PISA employees — a part of the navy’sprogram that features medical checks and repeated counseling classes for freed hostages and detainees. Throughout these classes, counselors encourage former detainees to debate issues they could have for transitioning again to their lives with their households and of their careers.
The middle has 8,500 employees members and offers care to about 4,000 navy and civilian trauma sufferers, in accordance with its web site. It’s the solely Stage 1 trauma heart — the best stage of care — throughout the Navy Well being System.
