Every day we tell you stories of countries at odds, posturing, saber-rattling, and war-mongering. But this story is a little different. It’s about a prisoner swap between America and Russia, the biggest one since the Cold War. The deal included 24 detainees, seven countries, and nearly 18 months of behind-the-scenes negotiations. It’s one of those rare wins for diplomacy. In fact, for quiet diplomacy, you may not see it, but this is proof that it’s still happening even among countries that are at loggerheads.
Once the planes landed, all was well. Joe Biden greeted them with hugs, and Vladimir Putin shook hands. The West and Russia exchanged prisoners, and 18 months of quiet diplomacy had finally succeeded. Biden stated, “Alliances make a difference. They stepped up; they took a chance for us. It mattered a lot. So, the light is their home.”
Twenty-four prisoners in seven different countries—the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus—were exchanged in the Turkish capital, Ankara. This was the biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War. Insider details suggest it started in late 2022. America and Russia were negotiating the release of Brittney Griner, the American basketball player. It was a secret negotiation, but Moscow made one thing very clear: they wanted only one person back, a man named Vadim Krasikov.
Krasikov is a Russian hitman and a former intelligence officer. He was accused of killing a Chechen dissident in Berlin and was serving a life sentence in Germany. Krasikov was close to Vladimir Putin; the Russian president once called him a patriot. Thus began months of back-channel negotiations. America communicated to Germany that Russia wanted Krasikov. They did not get a definitive answer, but there was headway. In March 2023, Russia arrested Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. A day later, Biden called his National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan; he wanted Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan back home. The key to that was Krasikov.
To make it happen, America had to get Germany on its side. Sullivan met his German counterpart. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken brought it up with the German foreign minister. Joe Biden raised the issue in a call with the German Chancellor. In February 2024, Olaf Scholz was in America. Biden met him, and Scholz conveyed his willingness. He told Biden he would do it for him. So, the quiet diplomacy was going well, but then came a major blow: the death of Alexei Navalny. The Putin rival died in a Russian prison. His death put the entire deal in danger. It all happened during the Munich Security Conference. Vice President Kamala Harris was there, and she jumped in. She met with Olaf Scholz to convince him.
But it wasn’t only Germany that Washington had to get on board. There was also Slovenia. They had two Russian nationals in their custody. So, Biden had to press the Slovenian Prime Minister as well. And he was doing it on July 21, just hours before he dropped out from the presidential race. It’s only in the last few weeks that Moscow came on board. Russia said it was open to a deal. Gershkovich got a lightning-fast trial. He was convicted, so was US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva. It looked like Moscow was in a hurry, and that was the biggest sign. Moscow treats conviction as a prerequisite for any prisoner exchange.
But like any high-stakes swap like this, nothing is final unless the prisoners are on the plane and flying back. Soon, former US Marine Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva were at Joint Base Andrews. They were greeted by President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their families. It was a good homecoming. Whelan said, “Looking forward to seeing my family down here and just recuperating from 5 years, 7 months, and 5 days of just absolute nonsense by the Russian government.”
Since the war in Ukraine, America and Russia have been at loggerheads. There has been posturing and warmongering, but this is a win for diplomacy. While the war continues, this is a big win for both sides who have got their citizens back.
