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[Global Times special correspondents in Russia, the United States and Germany Xiao Xinxin, Xiao Daqingmu, Liu Yupeng and Chen Kang] Russia, the United States, Germany and other Western countries completed the "largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War" on August 1. Russian President Putin went to the airport to personally welcome the Russians who were released and returned to Russia that day, and said, "Thank you for your oath, duty and loyalty to your motherland." US President Biden and Vice President Harris also went to the airport to welcome the released Americans (or permanent residents) late that night. Biden also praised this as a "diplomatic feat" at the White House press conference. Many international media analysts believe that the Biden administration's move is not only to leave a diplomatic legacy for Biden, but also to add "new impetus" to Harris and the Democratic Party's campaign with the "rare diplomatic achievements" during this administration. According to US media reports, Biden sent Harris to pressure his ally Germany to persuade Germany to release a Russian agent sentenced to life imprisonment. This has caused great controversy in both the United States and Germany. Regarding this large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States, the international community generally expects the two sides to take this opportunity to resolve problems in bilateral relations through dialogue. However, Russia's "Viewpoint" newspaper said that although the prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States is a good thing for both sides, it may also mean that the "new Cold War" between the two countries has entered a more serious moment. The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred only half a year after the Soviet Union and the United States exchanged spies on a large scale.

Seven countries reach "largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War"

After Russia, the United States and seven other countries reached the "largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War" agreement, 10 Russians released by many Western countries returned to Moscow on August 1, local time. According to the Russian News Agency, on the evening of the 1st, local time, Russian President Putin went to Moscow's "Vnukovo-2" airport and personally greeted the Russian citizens released in the prisoner exchange operation at the aircraft gangway. A red carpet was specially laid at the airport, and about 40 members of the presidential guard honor guard participated in the welcome ceremony. After the released people got off the plane, Putin shook hands or hugged each of them. Afterwards, Putin gave a speech: "First of all, I would like to congratulate everyone on returning to the motherland... I want to thank you for your oath, duty and loyalty to the motherland. The motherland always remembers you. You will all be awarded national medals."

Russian President Vladimir Putin went to the airport to welcome the released Russian prisoners on the 1st.

Earlier in the day, the Kremlin website announced that in order to allow Russian citizens detained and imprisoned in foreign countries to return home, Putin signed a decree to pardon 13 people, including former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal Moscow-based reporter Gershkovich, who were convicted of espionage.

Regarding Putin's personal greeting at the airport, Russian presidential press secretary Peskov said at a press conference on the 2nd: "This is very important. This is a tribute to those who serve the country. After going through very difficult tests, they have been given the opportunity to return to their motherland through the efforts of many people." He said that the fate of all Russians detained abroad is a major concern of all departments of the Russian government, and the work of rescuing them will continue. Peskov also confirmed that Krasikov, who was released by Germany in the prisoner exchange, is a Russian Federal Security Service agent who served in the elite "Alpha" force. According to reports, Krasikov was sentenced to life imprisonment by a German court for killing a Chechen separatist commander in Berlin in 2019. In addition, a couple released by Slovenia are also Russian spies. The Russian Federal Security Service previously issued a statement saying that the objects of the exchange with these Russian citizens are those "groups that work for foreign interests and undermine Russian security."

Hours after Putin welcomed the released Russians, US President Biden and Vice President Harris also went to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington to welcome Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Kurmasheva, a dual-nationality US-Russian journalist for Radio Free Europe, who were released by Russia. According to the Associated Press, at around 11:40 p.m. local time on the 1st, Biden and Harris hugged the three people after they walked down the plane's gangway. Biden then gave a speech on the tarmac, saying it "felt great" to welcome the freed Americans back to the US territory and "this is something we've been looking forward to for a long time." Biden praised the cooperation of allies such as Germany, saying that these countries have done some "difficult things that go against their own interests." Harris said the agreement "fully demonstrates the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy."

In Germany, Chancellor Scholz also went to the airport to welcome the released. Scholz said that as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange plan, it was a "difficult decision" for the German government to release a convicted Russian agent. He insisted that the decision was correct, "If you have any doubts, then after talking to these people who have been freed, the doubts will disappear." He also said, "This moment undoubtedly greatly strengthens the friendship between the United States and Germany."

"Diplomatic feat" or election aid?

Regarding this prisoner exchange, Biden also held a press conference with the families of the released prisoners at the White House earlier on the 1st, declaring that the negotiations to bring these people back to the United States were a "diplomatic feat." Since he took office in the White House, the US government has brought more than 70 detained Americans back to reunite with their families.

US President Biden and Vice President Harris went to the airport to welcome the released Americans on the 1st. (AFP)

However, many Western media believe that this move is more of a campaign tactic of the Democratic Party. CNN said that the prisoner swap between the United States and Russia is one of the many foreign policy dilemmas during Biden's term. When Biden finally decided to withdraw from the election last month and announced his support for Harris's campaign, he promised to solve all these problems in the remaining six months of his term. The prisoner swap has injected "new impetus" into Harris' campaign.

The New York Times specifically mentioned that White House officials stressed that Harris played an important role in the diplomatic efforts to get Germany involved in the "prisoner swap." When attending the Munich Security Conference in February this year, Harris put pressure on German Chancellor Scholz in a private conversation, claiming that Germany's release of Russian agent Krasikov was crucial to the prisoner swap agreement because he was the "biggest fish" Putin wanted to get back.

Reuters said that the prisoner exchange provided the Biden administration with a much-needed diplomatic achievement that could help embellish Biden's diplomatic legacy and increase Harris' chances of winning the White House, but it also came at a huge cost. There are concerns in the United States that the move could encourage America's enemies to take more Americans hostage in the future.

ABC quoted a joint statement from House Speaker Johnson and Senate Republican leader McConnell, saying: "Exchanging innocent Americans for Russian criminals will not help stop Putin's reprehensible behavior" and "(The Biden administration) has not taken serious action to stop Russia, Iran and other countries hostile to the United States from holding Americans hostage, and the cost of hostage diplomacy will continue to increase."

In Germany, the move by the Scholz government has also been controversial. Agence France-Presse said that Germany released Russian agents to facilitate the largest prisoner swap agreement between Russia and the United States since the Cold War, which won praise from Washington, but was criticized as "making a deal with the devil" at home. German television said that judicial figures believed that this was an incident of improper political interference in the judiciary. The report said that this agreement "left (Germans) bitter."

Is a bigger crisis brewing between Russia and the United States?

At a press conference in the Kremlin on the 2nd, a reporter asked whether the prisoner exchange between Russia and the West indicated that the two sides might compromise on the Ukrainian issue. In response, Peskov said: "These are different areas of work and completely different situations... and follow completely different principles."

At the US State Department's press conference on the 1st, some reporters also mentioned the impact of the prisoner exchange on Russian-US relations and the Ukrainian issue. The US State Department's Chief Deputy Spokesperson Patel said: "This is not a restart of relations. There will be no change in the relationship between Russia and the United States, and the prisoner exchange will not affect the Ukrainian issue."

TASS quoted Russian experts' analysis on the 2nd, saying that the prisoner exchange "did not open up any prospects for improving relations between Russia and the West" and was just a "separate area of ​​contact" that has been well known since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Instead, it proves that Russia's confrontation with the West is profound, fixed and persistent.

Reuters said it was unclear why Putin decided to reach an agreement with the Biden administration instead of waiting for Trump to win the election. The report said Putin may think that it might be a better choice to reach a deal with Biden instead of waiting for the next administration. After the election, due to changes in the US leadership, the situation may become more difficult, and the US may even start all the prisoner exchange negotiations over again. Moreover, it is unknown whether Germany is willing to cooperate with the next US president.

The Russian newspaper “Viewpoint” said that the complex communication between Russia and the West for the prisoner exchange showed that the two sides have various communication channels to solve very complex problems. But this communication is also a sign of the deepening of an established confrontational structure, just like during the Cold War. The report worried that six months before the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union and the United States had exchanged spies on a large scale at the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin.