US President Joe Biden did not waste words when asked what his message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin was after yesterday’s historic prisoner swap, simply saying: “Stop.”
Mr Biden, who earlier this month announced he is not standing for a second presidential term in November, offered his one-word answer when questioned by the media as he welcomed home three freed Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
The United States and Russia completed a 24-person swap yesterday, the largest in post-USSR history, with the exchange taking place in Turkey.
Mr Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Paul Whelan were greeted by Mr Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris – who is almost guaranteed to be the Democratic Party nominee in the autumn – at an Air Force Base outside Washington last night.
Going the other way were Russian citizens convicted of serious crimes in the West.
The exchange follows a December 2022 swap which brought WNBA star Brittney Griner back to the States in exchange for arms trafficker Viktor Bout.
The trio took selfies with family members and friends, shared hugs with Biden and Kamala Harris, patted loved ones on the back, and smothered them with kisses.
At one point, the US president gave former marine Mr Whelan – who had spent five years behind bars – the flag pin off his own lapel, saying it “feels wonderful” to get the freed Americans home.
He also credited the cooperation of nations including Germany and Slovenia for helping to make the global prisoner swap work, saying they agreed to difficult things that were “against their self-interests”.
Speaking on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Mr Biden also rejected the idea that such swaps could lead to other Americans being detained. He said: “I don’t buy this idea of letting these people rot in jail because other people may be captured.”
Ms Harris said the deal was an “extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy”.
Former US President Donald Trump, preparing to square up to Ms Harris on November 5, disparaged the deal on his Truth Social platform, calling American negotiators “an embarrassment.”
Mr Trump asked in his post if the US had paid cash for Thursday’s releases, something National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan specifically denied.
The 78-year-old billionaire also asked if the US was handing over “murderers, killers, or thugs?’