SAN ANTONIO (WBAP/KLIF News ) – President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were on hand to greet three Americans who were part of a historic prisoner swap between Russia and the West.
The flight carrying the detainees, which included U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkkovich and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland Thursday night.
The Biden Administration National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said U.S. green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza was also released but she headed to Germany.
President Biden said the historic deal is key tenant of what America stands for.
“This is about the essence of who we are as a country. It really is about personal relationships…about family…about being able to have access to the people that you love,” he said.
“This is an example of the strength of American leadership in bringing nations together,” said VP Harris.
From Joint Base Andrews, the tree detainees were flown to Joint Base San Antonio early Friday morning and were met by a gaggle of reporters.
Whelan discussed his 2018 arrest in Moscow on espionage charges.
“The FSB grabbed me and said I was a spy…apparently I am a general in the army…a secret agent for DIA. This is the nonsense they came up with. They just wouldn’t let it go,” he said.
Gershkovich said he’s still processing the ordeal of his arrest in March 2023 on espionage charges.
“It’s…it’s overwhelming,” he said. The group will undergo medical treatments at Brook Army Medical Center for evaluations and spend time with family members.
Whelan and Gershkovich both deny the espionage allegations. The U.S. government considered both to be wrongfully detained.
Meanwhile, its an emotional time for the families of other Americans who have been freed in previous Russian prisoner swaps.
North Texan Joey Reed is the father of Trevor Reed who was freed as part of a Russian prisoner swap in 2022.
“They’re going to be bombarded with every media organization on three continents. They’re going to be overjoyed…that will overrule everything else,” he said.
A host of Russian dissidents were also freed. In return, Moscow got a former security service colonel convicted of murder and several individuals accused of spying or cybercrime.
The deal involved 24 detainees and seven countries.
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