Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Evan Gershkovich are now on American soil following the largest prisoner exchange between the West and Russia.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed them at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

It is noted that 16 people were freed from Russia: four for the USA and 12 from Germany, one of whom was Belarusian.

Russia, on its part, received eight prisoners: three from the USA, two from Slovenia, and one each from Norway, Germany, and Poland.

Additionally, two minors, children of a Russian couple who had been arrested in Slovakia, were also included in the exchange.

This was one of the most complex prisoner exchanges in history, occurring at a time when relations between the West and Russia are perhaps at their lowest point. However, it remains one of the few areas where the West and Russia can find some common ground.

At the same time, it is also a way, especially for Russia, to close some minor fronts (at least from its perspective) to focus on the war in Ukraine. Similarly, it allows Western countries to showcase a success by repatriating their citizens.