By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Worthy News) – U.S. President Joe Biden has confirmed that Russia has released three jailed Americans, including The Wall Street Journal newspaper reporter Evan Gershkovich and one American green card holder. “Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza” are returning home, he said.
“The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy. All told, we’ve negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia—including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country. Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years.”
He added that, “All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over.”
In the exchange, which took place at Ankara airport late Thursday eight Russians held in the west returned to Russia. Among them was the Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, who has been held in a German prison since 2019 for the murder of a Chechen exile in Berlin.
Additionally, deep-cover Russian “illegal” spies arrested in Norway and Slovenia were swapped, along with Russians held on criminal charges in U.S. jails.
Two minors were also returned to Russia, believed to be the children of the spies jailed in Slovenia.
GRATEFUL TO ALLIES
“I am grateful to our Allies who stood with us throughout tough, complex negotiations to achieve this outcome— including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey,” Biden said.
“This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon. Our alliances make Americans safer,” Biden added in the statement.
However, “let me be clear: I will not stop working until every American wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world is reunited with their family,” he pledged.
“My Administration has now brought home over 70 such Americans, many of whom were in captivity since before I took office. Still, too many families are suffering and separated from their loved ones, and I have no higher priority as President than bringing those Americans home.”
President Biden stressed, “Today, we celebrate the return of Paul, Evan, Alsu, and Vladimir and rejoice with their families. We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world. And we reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West and members of the NATO military alliance that they will be “at war with Russia” if Ukraine is given the green light to use long-range missiles on targets inside his country.
Reports are emerging of an apparent Israeli Special Forces operation targeting an Iranian missile production facility in Syria that was involved in manufacturing weapons for Hezbollah according to various media sources.
Switzerland will likely implement a digital identity document (ID) by 2026 after both chambers of parliament approved the necessary steps despite voters rejecting a previous law enabling the scheme.
A hotel in El Paso, Texas, has been shut down for harboring violent illegal border crossers, including Venezuelan Tren De Aragua prison gang members.
Christians across the United Kingdom will participate in the National Week Of Prayer (NWOP) event for the country and other nations from 12 to 20 October 2024, Christian Today (CT) reports. NWOP is a partnership of diverse Christian denominations and ministries that are united in their commitment to “pray for the nations and let faith rise.”
Religious rights advocates have warned that Christians and Hindus in Bangladesh are experiencing intensified persecution as the country’s interim government has allowed the previously banned Jamaat-e-Islami Islamic party to have free reign in the country, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) reports.
The United States Defense Department has ordered the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier to return home after it spent several weeks in the Middle East in case Israel needed to be defended from threatened attacks by Iran and its proxies, and to protect US troops, the Associated Press reports. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier will remain in the area.