2024-08-03 08:49:43
Moscow gives a signal already in 2022, that he wants the killer Vadim Krasikov – now get it
2 years of frantic negotiations, conducted under a strict embargo, led to the release of American journalists Evan Gershkovich, Alsou Kurmashieva and veteran infantryman Paul Whelan, accused of espionage against Russia. The biggest deal since the Cold War was hailed as a diplomatic feat by the US and Russia in cooperation with 5 Western countries, achieved despite the raging war in Ukraine that has strained their relationship.
The three Americans were welcomed late Thursday in the US with big hugs and unstoppable tears from their families. That put an end to the historic deal.
A total of 24 detainees from Russia, the USA and the West participated in the exchange. Moscow released 16 people, including five Germans and seven Russian opposition figures used as political prisoners in their own country. In return, Russia received former high-ranking FSB colonel Vadim Krasikov – although German prosecutors opposed his release because he is a convicted murderer. The list also included the hacker Roman Seleznev, as well as several individuals accused of espionage. Both children of spies detained in Slovenia were returned to Russian territory. The family protected their cover to such an extent that
the children understood that they are Russians right on the plane
while traveling to Moscow. And when they landed, President Vladimir Putin welcomed a mother and daughter, part of the group, by presenting them with bouquets. Then he wiped the tears from the girl’s face.
The exchange was fully implemented on Thursday – an extremely stressful day for the families of the freedmen and very exhausting for them themselves. At around 11.20 am, those freed from Russia were at Ankara airport, after which they boarded a flight lasting more than 10 hours to go home. On board they traveled together with doctors, a psychologist and government officials. Around midnight they landed at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Already on the runway, they were greeted by President Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris. Whelan, who
spent 2043 days in a Russian prison
he was the first to get off the plane and shake hands with American leaders. He was followed by Gershkovich, who hugged Harris and Biden, then turned to his parents. Kurmasheva rushed into the arms of her husband and daughters as soon as she greeted the leaders.
Gershkovich quickly addressed the media gathered at the track, telling his Wall Street Journal colleagues, “I’m home,” words they’d been waiting for for more than a year.
“The feeling is wonderful. I was absolutely convinced that we could do it. There is nothing that is beyond our capacity. We are the United States of America,” the president emphasized minutes later. Asked what he would say to his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin, Biden only answered – “Stop”. In a statement earlier Thursday, Biden hailed the agreement as a “feat of diplomacy” in cooperation with Germany, Poland, Norway, Turkey and Slovenia.
In reality, the prisoner swap marks a major diplomatic achievement and defines the legacy of Biden, who has less than 6 months left before leaving the presidency. The origins of that deal can be traced back to the fall of 2022 — when, according to senior White House officials, Moscow is hinting that it is ready for a deal.
In February of that year, Russia detained and sent to a colony American basketball star Brittney Greener for possession of cannabis oil. Shortly thereafter, the United States began negotiations for her release. On December 8 of the same year, Greener was exchanged for the famous Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
During talks about that deal, Russia has made it clear that it wants back Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for killing a former Chechen fighter in a busy Berlin park on direct orders from the Kremlin. Putin hugged him when he got off the plane.
Tense secret talks intensified earlier this year. The climax was in the last weeks, when the media began to speculate on the subject. Then the final agreement was made.
Negotiations are defined as
feverish and testing
They come at a time when tensions between the US and Russia have risen over the war in Ukraine. “This was the culmination of many rounds of complex, painstaking negotiations over months,” Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser who played a key role in the deal, said shortly after the exchange.