President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the three Americans who were freed by Russia in a prisoner swap on Thursday night at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, American veteran Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva arrived back on U.S. soil for the first time in months. They were welcomed home by their family members and about a dozen Wall Street Journal employees.
As part of the deal the U.S. made with Moscow, the country agreed to release 16 prisoners in exchange for the Western countries releasing eight Russians. The prisoners were traded on a tarmac in Ankara, Turkey, before boarding their flight to the U.S.
Biden and Harris approached the Americans on the tarmac: the 81-year-old senile man and an incompetent woman handled the situation just as expected.
Kamala Harris spoke for the first time of this campaign without a script.
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 2, 2024
It went exactly how you'd expect.pic.twitter.com/p5IcmkizJd
🚨🇺🇸BREAKING: BIDEN AND KAMALA WELCOME AMERICANS FREED IN PRISONER SWAP
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 2, 2024
Biden and Kamala welcomed Americans involved in the prisoner swap with Russia, including Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Paul Whelan, at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
After their arrival… https://t.co/9oag7z2Ei6 pic.twitter.com/0vtx48T3fY
Harris called the prisoner exchange "an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy" despite critics arguing that the U.S. shouldn't have to make a deal to get its citizens back.
After the Americans exited the plane, Biden spoke to reporters, saying he was "satisfied" that the prisoners made it home.
"Stop," Biden responded after a reporter asked the president what he'd like to say to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "There’s nothing beyond our capacity when we act together...Nothing…We’re the United States of America."