Following a substantial prisoner-transfer with Russia, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris physically welcomed journalist Evan Gershkovich and two additional Americans on Thursday.
Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal who had been detained in Russia on spy claims, was among those released in the trade. He was joined by original US Marine Paul Whelan, who had been held in Russia for nearly five years on similar charges, and Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who had been detained for her monitoring.
As they stepped off the airplane, each embracing Biden and Harris, who were present to welcome them house, received cheers and applause from their families and friends. After weeks, and in some cases years, of imprisonment under difficult circumstances, their return was accentuated by the psychological impact of the meeting.
One of the most well-known markets in recent memory was the prisoner swap, which involved considerable agreements between the US and Russian administrations. It comes amid ongoing tensions between the two nations, exacerbated by Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine and strained diplomatic ties.
