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August 2, 2024 at 1:16 a.m. EDT2 hours ago
Americans freed from Russia reunite with family
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Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva were greeted by their relatives, President Biden and Vice President Harris on Aug. 1 at Joint Base Andrews. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)
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Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva stepped onto U.S. soil late Thursday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where they were greeted by President Biden and Vice President Harris. The three Americans were part of a prisoner swap involving seven countries, including the United States, Russia and Germany. Russia released 16 detainees in exchange for eight Russians held in other countries, including assassin Vadim Krasikov, who had been imprisoned by Germany.
The exchange caps months of painstaking diplomacy involving negotiations at the highest levels of multiple governments. “The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy,” said President Biden in a statement.
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