U.S. and European citizens have landed on home soil after being released in a prisoner swap with Russia. Among them is Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who had been detained in Russia for 16 months.
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00:00Three American citizens and one green card holder arrived back on home soil, freed from
00:12Russia as part of a multinational prisoner swap.
00:17Sixteen people were released from Russia, and eight Russians were returned home from
00:21prisons abroad.
00:23Included in the swap, several suspected spies, political dissidents, and journalists.
00:30Flanked by the families of the released Americans, Joe Biden said all four were unjustly held
00:35by Russia, and called the swap a feat of diplomacy.
00:39So for anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do.
00:45They matter.
00:46And today is a powerful example of why it's vital to have friends in this world.
00:50Joe's friends, the key allies who helped secure the deal, including Germany, Poland,
00:56Turkey, and Norway.
00:58The complex prisoner swap, the largest seen since the Cold War, was almost two years in
01:03the making, and would have included detained Russian opposition leader, Alexei Nalvany.
01:09Had he not died in prison six months ago.
01:13President Biden's top aides have made it clear this swap doesn't change the tense relationship
01:17between the US and Russia.
01:19Among those released, a high-profile reporter, Evan Gershkovich, detained in 2023 on an espionage
01:27charge and sentenced to 16 years in jail.
01:35His colleagues at the Wall Street Journal celebrated the news of his return.
01:40While in Germany, those freed from Russia were welcomed on the tarmac by German Chancellor
01:45Olaf Scholz, before undergoing health checks.
01:48It was very moving.
01:52Many did not expect this to happen now and are still very full of the feelings that are
01:58associated with being able to be free all of a sudden.
02:04Many feared for their health and their lives, that must be said very clearly.
02:09And that is why it is also important that we have enabled them to be protected here.
02:15Germany played a key role in securing the swap, releasing the main figure of the deal,
02:21Vadim Krasikov, a Russian sentenced to life in prison for murder.
02:26Germany said the state's interest in enforcing his sentence was outweighed by the liberty
02:31of innocent people held in Russia.
02:34In Moscow, Krasikov and seven others were welcomed home with flowers by Russian President
02:39Vladimir Putin.
02:42While facing criticism that this swap could incentivise its adversaries to take more political
02:46prisoners, the US said the benefit was greater than the risk.
02:52But not all Americans were released.
02:54Among those still imprisoned in Russia, an American teacher held on a drug charge and
02:59a Russian-American ballerina who made a small donation to a Ukraine aid group.
03:04I'm happy for them.
03:07I'm happy for the hostages, for the people, the Americans that has been returned to their
03:13families.
03:14I'm very happy.
03:15And this makes me very hopeful.
03:16But at the same time, I'm very heartbroken and sad because my Ksenia is not on that list.
03:25The Biden administration says it's actively working to secure their release, and that
03:30of all citizens around the world wrongfully detained.
03:34But as those talks continue behind closed doors, those included in this deal will spend
03:39their first days at home, basking in their long-awaited freedom.
03:44Dolphine Chen and Rosie Greninger for Taiwan Plus.