President Joe Biden told reporters he told the three freed American prisoners who were freed from Russia on Thursday and who landed on U.S. soil on Thursday night, “welcome home.”
Biden, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, greeted Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva after they landed at Andrews Air Force Base, capping a successful exchange that released 16 prisoners in all.
The president and vice president joined the families of some of the former captives, including Gershkovich’s parents and Kurmasheva’s daughters.
The plane carrying the prisoners touched down several minutes after 11:30 p.m. ET. Whelan was the first prisoner to step off onto American soil. Whelan saluted, then embraced Biden and Harris, who were waiting on the tarmac.
Speaking to reporters, Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, said he passed the time during his almost six years of captivity by singing the national anthem, the New York Times reported.
Gershkovich quickly followed the former U.S. Marine and could be seen briefly chatting with the president and vice president after deplaning. Microphones could not immediately pick up the conversation between The Wall Street Journal reporter and the commander-in-chief.
When asked how it felt to be home, Gershkovich simply responded, “not bad.”
Kurmasheva, the Tatar language Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty editor, disembarked and was quickly met with an hug from her daughters.
Speaking to the press after the dramatic landing, Biden thanked several U.S. allies, including Germany and Slovenia, for assisting in the deal. When asked if he had a message for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden simply responded: “stop.”
Biden also told one reporter that his decision to suspend his reelection campaign had nothing to do with the prisoner exchange.
“I’d still get it done even if I was seeking a second term. You’re stuck with me as president for a while, kid. There’s no way out. You’ve got me for another 100 days or so—it didn’t have anything to do with that.”
Harris heaped praise on Biden, calling it an “extraordinary day.”
“This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliance,” the vice president said.
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