View the World·US-Russia Relations｜What does the large-scale prisoner exchange between the US and Russia mean?
2024-08-07
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Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 2 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Russia conducted the largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, on August 1. The United States and its NATO allies released eight Russians, and Russia released 16 people, including several "important prisoners" who had been arguing over the prisoner exchange issue for a long time between the United States and Russia.
This is the Kremlin photographed in Moscow, the capital of Russia, on May 11. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Alexander)Some analysts believe that large-scale prisoner exchanges do not mean a breakthrough improvement in Russia-US relations, but it shows that the US and Russia still maintain channels of communication.
Long-standing secret talk
Those released this time include Evan Gorshkovich, a Moscow-based reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was sentenced in Russia for espionage, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and Vadim Krasikov, a Russian who was sentenced to life imprisonment for assassinating a former Chechen separatist commander in Germany.
On October 6, 2023, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany was lit up. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ren PengfeiAccording to Insider, an American online magazine focusing on Russia, secret negotiations between the United States and Russia on prisoner exchange began in the first half of 2022. At that time, the discussion was to exchange Krasikov, who was imprisoned by Germany, for Alexi Navalny, a Russian opposition leader imprisoned by Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted in December last year that he hoped Russia and the United States would reach a "solution" on the release of Gorshkovich.
The negotiations were not smooth. According to the Insider, Putin initially wanted to exchange Krasikov for Gorshkov. The Kremlin initially believed that it was enough to talk to the United States, which could influence European allies. However, Krasikov was imprisoned in Germany, and it was inevitable that Germany would participate in the prisoner exchange negotiations. However, the German side was only willing to discuss exchanging Krasikov for Navalny.
The report said that the two sides were talking in this direction, but Russia was reluctant to include Navalny in the prisoner exchange list. In February this year, Navalny died suddenly in prison. In April, Germany sent a signal that it was willing to agree to Russia's exchange of multiple people for Krasikov.
The German government said on the 1st that releasing a criminal like Krasikov was "not an easy decision."
Each gets extra points
U.S. President Joseph Biden called the prisoner exchange a "feat of friendship and diplomacy" on the 1st, praised the allies for their "brave decision" and especially thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
This is a photo of the White House in the snow taken in Washington, the capital of the United States, on January 15. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Allen)Reuters said the prisoner swap was a "diplomatic victory" for the White House and a plus for the Democratic camp after Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's presidential campaign. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in a televised debate with Biden in June that he would release Gershkovic as soon as he won the election.
For Putin, it is also a victory to allow Russians sentenced in Western countries to return home. In particular, he has repeatedly expressed his hope that Krasikov will be released. Some international media believe that the latter is a Russian Federal Security Service agent. When Putin welcomed the released people at the airport on the 1st, he said that the motherland "has never forgotten you for a moment."
Reuters reported that the prisoner exchange agreement involving multiple countries seems to be just a "one-off" and will not "reset" the hostile US-Russia relationship. Jon Finner, deputy assistant to the US president for national security affairs, told CNN that US-Russia relations are still in a "very difficult stage" and that "negotiations do not involve trust."
Lucas Auban, a researcher at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, believes that the prisoner exchange agreement shows that the United States and Russia remain in contact and have open channels, just like the United States and the Soviet Union during the "Cold War", "the two sides have discussions and long conversations."
The last large-scale prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia was in 2010, involving 14 people. The Associated Press said that since the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February 2022, there have been several prisoner exchanges between the United States and Russia. The most notable one was in December 2022, when Russia released Britney Griner, an American women's basketball player who was sentenced for drug possession and smuggling, and the United States released Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. However, the relationship between the United States and Russia has not improved.
The Associated Press said that the prisoner exchange means that the two sides have coordinated and compromised on common interests, and its significance should not be exaggerated. However, it is still noteworthy that a deal can be reached under the circumstances of open confrontation between the two countries. (Hu Ruoyu)
