'Their brutal ordeal is over': Biden hails largest prisoner swap since Cold War

WASHINGTON ― President Joe Biden said Thursday a prisoner swap that freed Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan from Russian custody resulted from “a feat of diplomacy and friendship.”

“Their brutal ordeal is over, and they are free,” Biden said from the White House.

With several of the freed prisoners' family members standing behind them, Biden said Russia had wrongly convicted them in "show trials" and sentenced them to long prison terms “with absolutely no legitimate reason whatsoever.” Biden said he and the families were able to speak to the prisoners a few moments earlier on the phone from the Oval Office.

"They're out of Russia," he said. "Earlier today, they were flown to Turkey. Soon they will be wheels up on their way home to see their families. It's an incredible relief."

Asked by reporters what he told them over the phone, Biden answered: 'Welcome almost home!"

Gershkovich and Whelan were released from Russian custody Thursday as part of the biggest prisoner exchange between Washington, Moscow and four other governments since the Cold War.

The exchange of 24 prisoners follows months of negotiations and marks a rare moment of cooperation between Russia and its geopolitical adversaries in the West after more than two years of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The prisoner swap involves the release of 16 individuals previously detained in Russia in exchange for eight individuals held in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland.

Turkish intelligence had announced that it agreed to provide logistical support to facilitate the swap.

More: Russian court sentences Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison

In July, Gershkovich was convicted, unusually swiftly, on espionage charges he denies. He was given 16 years in jail. The previous largest prisoner swap with Russia took place in 2010, involving 14 people. Gershkovich was held in Russia for 17 months.

Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, had been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges his family and the U.S. government have called baseless. The U.S. classified him as wrongfully detained. Whelan was convicted by Russia in 2020 of spying and was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison colony.

In addition to the American citizens and green card holder, he said Russian political dissidents who are being released can now live safely abroad, and that should make Americans proud.

Biden also took a dig at his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, saying that one of his first acts as president-elect was to dig into the cases of wrongfully destined Americans he was inheriting from the prior administration.

In all, he said, more than 70 Americans who were wrongfully detained or held hostage have been released during his administration, he said.

Asked by reporters about Trump's repeated claims that he could have gotten the prisoners freed without giving away anything in return, Biden shot back: "Why didn't he do it when he was president?"

More: WNBA star Brittney Griner details conditions in frigid Russian prison: 'There's no rest'

Biden, who is leaving office in January, said he would continue to work to bring wrongfully detained Americans home.

The families, he said, never gave up hope. Turning to Whelan’s sister, he said the public can’t imagine what the families have been through. He patted and took her hand.

Near the end of his news conference, Biden brought to the lectern, Miriam Butorin, daughter of Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was among those prisoners freed. Biden gave the young girl a hug and had the room sing “Happy Birthday” to her.

Miriam turns 13 years old on Friday.

“Remember, no serious guys till you're 30,” Biden teased Miriam.

Turning serious, he said, "Now she gets to celebrate with her mom. That’s what this is all about – family, able to be together again, like they should have been all along.”

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard

Michael Collins, Francesca Chambers and Joey Garrison cover the White House. Follow Collins on X @mcollinsNEWS, Chambers @fran_chambers and Garrison @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden hails prisoner swap, release of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan