By admin 
Three American prisoners who were released from Russia on Friday (August 2) have returned home. They were received by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Similarly, 10 Russian prisoners released from jails in various countries have arrived in Moscow. They were received at moscow airport by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A Russian ‘assassin’ and a correspondent of another American newspaper boarded different planes in Turkeye on Thursday. It witnessed a prisoner-exchange agreement between Russia and the West that went on for many years in secret and dramatic manner.
The talks, which began in 2022 for the release of 22 prisoners, were held secretly between Russia, the US and four European countries.
However, the talks gained momentum earlier this year. These discussions have sometimes become a test for their respective countries. Obstacles were encountered when tensions between the US and Russia escalated over the war in Ukraine.
For months, several times.
“This is the result of complex negotiations that have lasted several months,” said Us National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan, who played a key role in the deal after the exchange of prisoners.
On Thursday, senior White House officials briefed media persons about the exchange of prisoners. “The first positive signal from Moscow in late 2022 to sign the deal has come.
American basketball star Britney Griner was arrested in 2022 on a drug case while in Russia. The UNITED States and Russia have held talks for Britney’s release.
A year later, Russian arms dealer Victor Bout was released by the US for Britney. But White House officials said Russia had sought the release of Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence in Germany for shooting and killing a man in Berlin Park during those talks.
While Jack Sullivan spoke to Germany on the matter, White House officials said Germany was unwilling to release Krasikov, who was accused of a brutal murder on his soil.
With the arrest of an American journalist.
Sullivan did not get a definitive response from Germany. However, in 2022, negotiations between the US and Russia, as well as the US and Germany, set the stage for a complex deal. They led to the exchange of prisoners in Turkiye. Both sides have given some indication of their likes and dislikes.
The US has made it clear that Russia needs Krasikov. At the same time, the US has sought the release of not only Navalny, but also former Marine officer Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in a Russian prison since 2018 on espionage charges.
In late March 2023, 31-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter Ivan Gershkovich from New Jersey was arrested by Russian intelligence agents while he was on a news gathering. His arrest was condemned by the US and its allies.
US President Joe Biden has ordered Sullivan to include Whelan and the reporter in the deal. Biden’s order came a day after the reporter was arrested.
Us direct talks with Russia
The US has directly negotiated with Russia for the exchange of prisoners. The concerned external affairs ministers spoke over the phone.
But the talks have shifted from foreign diplomats to Secret Intelligence Service officials. However, the US did not want the CIA to be involved in the matter because they themselves accused Ivan Gershkovich of espionage. That’s why the U.S. suspected that the matter would go from a different angle.
Senior White House officials explained that the US understands that Krasikov’s release is crucial if the deal is to move forward as these complex negotiations continue until the end of 2023. Russia has been rejecting demands for the release of Krasikov, 58.
The most important thing to note here is that Krasikov was a prisoner in Germany. America has no right to release him.
Sullivan held talks with the German representative at the end of 2023 and in January 2024. Krasikov spoke on the release. White House officials explained to them that the success of the prisoners’ exchange agreement with Russia depended largely on germany’s release of Krasikov.
The United States of America
Moscow’s demand is that Russian spies in their respective countries be extradited in exchange for Americans jailed on charges of espionage. America has taken steps on this. An attempt was made to identify the spies.
According to a Report in the Wall Street Journal, US officials, diplomats and intelligence personnel have travelled to allied countries ready to free hostage spies. Russian spies tried to find out whether they were in jail or not.
With the effort of the US, its allies released the Russian spies. The result was seen on Thursday (August 1) as Russian spies were released from prisons in Poland, Slovenia and Norway.
In February 2024, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with President Biden at the White House to discuss the exchange of prisoners.