On the night of Thursday, Aug. 1, three Americans who were held incarcerated in Russia returned home and were welcomed on the Joint Base Andrews’ tarmac by their families and the ones who endeavored to make this deal happen, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. This historical moment was a long time coming, despite hopes having dwindled over the years.
Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and Former Marine Paul Whelan were all tearfully and joyously received after landing in their country. Also released by Russia was Vladimir Kara-Murza, an opposition politician with permanent United States residency and dual British-Russian nationality.
In total, 16 prisoners were released by Russia and Belarus in exchange for eight prisoners held by the U.S., Slovenia, Norway, and Germany. This monumental example of successful diplomacy is being hailed as the largest prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War.
In the wake of Alexei Navalny’s death in February, many feared that the talks, which had been ongoing for years, would fall through. Germany was specifically keen on the multicountry deal if there was a chance to get the opposition leader and activist back. Although Navalny was unable to be rescued from his tragic fate, five German citizens were sent back to their home country as part of this triumphant deal.
Donald Trump had expressed his conviction that Vladimir Putin would do him the favor of releasing Gershkovich “almost immediately” once he became President. However, some of the hostages had been in custody even during his presidency. Whelan, for instance, had been held captive in Russia since 2018. Instead of waiting for a potential Trump presidency, Putin took the recently proposed deal, pardoned those released in the swap, and gave a significant win to the Biden Administration.
Less talk, more action
Joe Biden may be approaching the end of his presidency, but he has just proven there are extremely consequential actions he can still take and see accomplished.
When asked about the toughest call he had to make to see this exchange come to fruition, the President told reporters on the tarmac that the most challenging part of this deal was convincing allies, particularly Germany and Slovenia, to go against “their own immediate self-interest.” The president also indirectly addressed a prominent argument against the exchange: “I don’t buy this idea that we’re going to let these people rot in jail because other people may be captured.”
Speaking to reporters after the President, VP Kamala Harris called this an “extraordinary day.” She went on to say:
“I’m very thankful for our President and what he has done over his entire career, but in particular, as it relates to these families and these individuals, what he has been able to do to bring the Allies together on many issues but in particular this one. 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 significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances.”
Former President Barack Obama shared praise for Biden and Harris’ achievement in a post on X:
Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that this deal was “bad,” implying he could’ve gotten a better one. When reporters faced him with the Republican Presidential nominee’s words, Biden responded with a poignant rhetorical question: “Why didn’t he do it when he was president?”
Some MAGA supporters online have argued that the former President could not accomplish the miraculous feat of bringing the hostages home in exchange for nothing because Gershkovich had been imprisoned in 2023 when Biden was president. Kurmasheva and Kara-Murza were also arrested in 2023 and 2022 respectively. However, while accusing others of ignoring this fact, these netizens seemingly neglect to give any emphasis to how other hostages, like Whelan, had been in custody when Trump was in office.
The Biden Administration also oversaw and coordinated two prisoner swaps in 2022, in which WNBA basketball player Brittney Griner and former Marine Trevor Reed were brought back to their home country.