The historic prisoner exchange agreement between Russia and the West is the result of secret negotiations held under tense conditions between Moscow and the outgoing U.S. President.
Joe Biden thanked his European allies and Turkey for their “courageous and bold decisions.”
What is not widely known is that this “historic” prisoner exchange, which took place in Turkey, was the product of secret negotiations led by Joe Biden. He sealed the deal just one hour before announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race, passing the torch to his Vice President, Kamala Harris, as reported by Le Figaro.
The deal we made to bring home wrongfully detained Americans would not have been possible without our allies.
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 2, 2024
They stepped up and stood by us.
So for anyone who questions whether allies matter, today is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world. pic.twitter.com/KSikbcgnUA
“I’m not making this up: just one hour before Joe Biden announced his exit from the race, he had a phone call with his Slovenian counterpart to urge the finalization of the agreement and to ‘bring it to an end,’ a senior U.S. official told reporters at the White House,” according to the report.
After enduring unimaginable suffering and uncertainty, the Americans detained in Russia are safe, free, and have begun their journeys back into the arms of their families. pic.twitter.com/1rYNBTt9tJ
— President Biden (@POTUS) August 1, 2024
Yesterday evening, from an airport in Ankara, seven planes – two from the U.S. and one each from Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Russia – set off in one of the largest and most complex prisoner exchanges since the Cold War.
Ten people were sent to Russia, 13 to Germany, and three to the U.S., according to Turkish security sources. Among them were American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
Their release was the result of months of high-level secret talks involving heads of state, diplomats, and shadowy security officials.
Behind the relief and smiles of the freed prisoners’ families were intricate negotiations that spanned a significant period.
Initially, negotiations were with Russia, with which the U.S. had strained relations for over a decade, particularly after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Significant collaboration was also required with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whom Joe Biden publicly thanked for his “significant concessions” in this major diplomatic compromise.
“I will do it for you,” Scholz told Biden.
The outgoing White House occupant thanked his European allies and Turkey for their “courageous and bold decisions.”
Notably, Berlin agreed to allow Vadim Krasikov, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2021, to return to Russia. Krasikov had been convicted of the murder of a former Chechen separatist commander in Berlin, an act carried out on behalf of Russian security services.
“We had to work extensively with our German counterparts, starting with the president himself,” acknowledged White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Four months ago, according to Le Figaro, Chancellor Scholz was asked by Biden if he had changed his mind. “I will do it for you,” Scholz reportedly replied to the Democratic U.S. President, who then turned to Sullivan and said, “Do it,” according to the same official.
Slovenia also released two Russian spies, Artem Viktorovich Dolchev and Anna Valeryevna Dolcheva, who were arrested just before the end of 2022. Their children have been in temporary foster care since then.
These two were among the 26 prisoners exchanged yesterday between Russia and the West.
Negotiations between Washington and Moscow began in 2018, under the presidency of Donald Trump, following the arrest of former Marine Paul Whelan.
The situation became more complex with the arrest of WSJ journalist Gershkovich in March 2023, as admitted by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Another American official admitted that hopes to bring back the Wall Street Journal correspondent and former Marine Whelan dimmed significantly when Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny mysteriously died in prison last February.
Nevertheless, Biden was quick to praise German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his role in the historic prisoner exchange between Western countries and Russia and Belarus.
According to the German network nt-v, the outgoing U.S. President praised Scholz for the sacrifices Germany made, including the release of a convicted murderer.
According to Biden, the historic prisoner exchange between Russia, Belarus, and several Western countries was a “tough undertaking” for U.S. allies.
Specifically, Germany and Slovenia had to make decisions that were not in their immediate interests, Biden emphasized to reporters at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
“Especially Chancellor Olaf Scholz was incredible,” the White House occupant highlighted.
Russia, Belarus, and several Western countries exchanged prisoners at Ankara airport in an unprecedented operation involving Turkey’s MIT intelligence service.
In exchange for the release of political prisoners and Kremlin critics, Germany, the U.S., and their allies let the Berlin Tiergarten murderer Vadim Krasikov and espionage suspects return to Russia.
A plane landed in Cologne last night carrying 13 captives.
