America approves inmate exchange with Russia
(MENAFN) In a significant diplomatic development, the United States has confirmed a high-profile prisoner swap with Russia, involving the release of three American citizens and one United States resident. President Joe Biden announced the successful negotiation of this exchange in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The swap, which Moscow has also confirmed, included Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former United States Marine Paul Whelan among those released. Biden's statement highlighted the return of four individuals: Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, all of whom had been imprisoned in Russia under contentious circumstances.
President Biden praised the arrangement as a “feat of diplomacy” and expressed gratitude to several countries that assisted in the negotiations, including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Türkiye. The White House indicated that the exchange resulted in the release of 16 individuals from Russia, including five German nationals and seven Russian citizens classified as “political prisoners in their own country.” However, Biden did not address the release of ten Russian nationals by the United States and its allies in return.
Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in March of the previous year, was accused of espionage for allegedly seeking classified information about the Russian military vehicle manufacturer Uralvagonzavod. He was convicted in July and sentenced to 16 years in a high-security prison. Paul Whelan, a dual citizen of the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada, was arrested for espionage in 2018 and had been serving a sentence since 2020. He was notably excluded from the 2022 prisoner swap involving basketball player Brittney Griner and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The successful conclusion of this prisoner swap marks a notable moment in United States-Russia relations and highlights ongoing efforts to resolve high-stakes diplomatic conflicts.
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