Joe Biden and Kamala Harris met with Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two other released American prisoners of war just hours after Washington and Moscow completed the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War.
It was a muggy evening at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C. Gershkovich and the other released prisoners, former Marine Paul Whelan and journalist Ars Kurmaseva, landed on U.S. soil and disembarked from a Bombardier plane from Turkey shortly thereafter. They were greeted by their families and the U.S. president and vice president.
As they disembarked from the jet, Evan hugged Harris and Biden several times, then went over to his mother, Ella, and lifted her off the ground with a hug. His father, Mikhail, and sister, Danielle, also welcomed him.
After speaking with his family for a few minutes, Evan walked towards the crowd of reporters and began hugging friends and colleagues.
When asked how he was feeling, he replied, “I’m fine,” but he also talked about how he felt when he boarded the bus with other released prisoners on Thursday, saying he was so happy he couldn’t be seen by Russians on the board.
“I just want to say one thing: it was great to get on that bus today and meet not only Americans and Germans, but also Russian political prisoners.
“I spent a month in a prison in Yekaterinburg and everyone I sat with there was a political prisoner. None of them know them publicly, they have different political views, they’re not all connected to the Navalny supporters that everybody knows. Maybe we want to think about whether we can do something about them, too. That’s something I hope to talk to people about in the coming weeks and months. ”
He was also welcomed by senior editors at The Wall Street Journal, including editors-in-chief Emma Tucker and Gordon Fairclough. Screams of joy erupted as Ms. Kurmaseva’s young daughters Miriam and Bibi ran up to embrace her, followed by a warm embrace from her husband, Pavel Butorin.
Whelan, who was greeted by his sister Ellen, also appeared to be in good spirits. He said he was OK, that he only thought he was free when the flight continued from Turkey through mainland Europe and Britain, and that his plan now was to “have a steak.”
Later, on the tarmac, Biden dismissed the idea that the prisoner exchange could lead to the incarceration of even more Americans. “The idea that we’re going to let these people rot in prison because other people might get arrested is unacceptable.”
Harris called the deal “extraordinary evidence of the importance of the president doing the things that we need to do. Here’s somebody who understands the power of diplomacy.”
Hundreds of journalists descended on the base to get their first glimpse of the released prisoners who spent nearly a decade together as Russian prisoners of war. They were among 16 American, Russian dissidents and German prisoners of war released by Russia in exchange for eight Russians released by the United States, Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland.
Among the prisoners returned to Russia were several secret spies and a convicted FSB assassin whom President Vladimir Putin had been trying to free from a German prison for years.
Gershkovich’s family previously said in a statement: “We have waited 491 days for Evan’s release and it is hard to describe the feelings we have on this day. We cannot wait to hold him close and see his kind, brave smile up close. What matters most now is taking care of Evan and being together again. No family should have to go through this, which is why today we share our relief and joy with Paul and Ars’ families.”
Whelan was arrested on espionage charges in 2018 and spent more than five years in detention, then in a labor colony.
“Paul Whelan is no longer in a labor colony in Russia, but he is also no longer at home,” the family wrote in a statement. “While Paul has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, he has lost his home. He has lost his job. It is unclear how someone overcomes such a loss and reintegrates back into society after being held hostage.
We thank you for all the efforts you have made to help Paul during his absence. We hope you will continue to support him and give him the space and privacy he needs to rebuild his life. It is a story Paul has to tell and he will tell it when he can.”
Kurmaszeva, a journalist with Radio Free Europe, was arrested for not being a registered foreign agent. She was later charged with spreading false information about Russian troops and sentenced to more than six years in prison.
Also released were Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin and British-Russian politician Vladimir Kara-Mursa, as well as several other opposition figures, including three who served as regional coordinators for opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was jailed earlier this year.
Kira Yarmysh, a spokeswoman for Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said on X that Harris had called Navalnaya “to discuss the exchange and express his support.” She noted her and her husband’s contributions to the fight for a democratic Russia.
Navalnaya thanked Harris for U.S. support and called on the international community to facilitate the release of more Russian political prisoners, Yarmysh said.
Early Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with some of the released prisoners. Scholz said many of them were “fearful for their health and even their lives.”
Speaking at Cologne airport, Scholz insisted that the exchange “was the right decision. If there were any doubts, they will be erased when you talk to people who are now free.”
The complex agreement involved months of negotiations between several countries and was concluded in great secrecy. The location and exact makeup of the exchange were only announced at the last moment.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that Navalny had been scheduled to join the agreement before his death in February. Sullivan said he met Gershkovich’s mother on the day of his death and that she told him progress on the deal was still in sight.
