Moscow has released a total of 16 people to the West, a statement from President Biden says
Three American citizens and one US resident have been released by Russia as part of a prisoner exchange, President Joe Biden has said in a statement.
Several media outlets have reported on a swap, which began on Thursday afternoon in the Turkish capital, Ankara, but both Moscow and Washington had initially refrained from providing official comment.
”Today, three American citizens and one American green-card holder who were unjustly imprisoned in Russia are finally coming home: Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza,” Biden’s statement said.
The statement described the exchange arrangement as “a feat of diplomacy” and thanked Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Türkiye for helping the US achieve this outcome.
According to the White House, the exchange secured the release of 16 people from Russia, including five German nationals and seven Russian citizens described as “political prisoners in their own country.” Biden made no mention of ten Russian nationals released by the US and its allies in exchange.
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