During the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War, involving 26 prisoners, three American citizens and a green card holder returned to the United States on Thursday.
The international operation spanned seven countries, with prisoners being exchanged from the United States, Germany, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus.
Ten individuals, including two minors, were relocated to Russia, 13 to Germany, and three returned to the United States.
Among those freed were Paul Whelan, a 54-year-old former US Marine sentenced to 16 years for espionage; Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old correspondent for The Wall Street Journal; Alsu Kumasheva, a Prague-based 47-year-old Russian-American journalist with Radio Free Europe; and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a 42-year-old Russian opposition activist and one of the Kremlin's fiercest critics.
Late on Thursday evening, a plane carrying those released by Russia as part of the exchange with the West landed at Andrews Air Force Base in the US state of Maryland, news agencies reported.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris welcomed them at the airport.
Photo: EPA/JIM LO SCALZO
Biden called Duda on Thursday night to thank the Polish authorities for their assistance in this operation.
"During the conversation, the presidents emphasized the strength of the allied bond and the strategic partnership between Poland and the United States," the Polish President's Office said on social media.
Earlier, Biden posted a statement on X, thanking Poland, Germany, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey for their help in organizing the political prisoner exchange.
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Source: PAP/Deutsche Welle/Reuters/x.com/@POTUS/@prezydentpl
