US President Joe Biden says he and the families of the US citizens who were freed as part of the swap were able to speak to them earlier by phone.
The deal saw the release of three US citizens — Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich and — as well as US green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza.
“Their families and I were able to speak to them on the telephone from the Oval Office. They’re out of Russia and earlier today they were flown to Turkey, and soon they’ll be wheels up on the way home to see their families.”
He also pointed out that seven of those released from Russian prisons had been political prisoners in their own country, including four who worked with late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the head of Russian rights group Memorial, Oleg Orlov.
“Now, they can live safely abroad and continue their work of advocating for democracy, if they so choose.”
He also appeared to take a swipe at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has expressed his reservations about the NATO defensive alliance.
“This deal would not have been made possible without our allies, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey. They all stepped up and they stood with us and they made bold and brave decisions; Released prisoners being held in their countries, who were justifiably being held, and provided logistical support to get the Americans home.”
“So for anyone who questions whether allies matter; They do; They matter. And today’s a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world. Friends you can trust, work with, and depend upon.”
“Our alliances make our people safer.”
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