Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) suggested in an interview with CNN on Thursday that fears of a second Trump administration motivated Russia to agree to the historic prisoner swap with the United States.
Vance, a 2024 presidential running mate of former President Trump, called the prisoner swap “great news.”
“We want these Americans to come home. It’s wrong that they were in prison in the first place,” Vance said.
“But we have to ask ourselves: Why are they coming home? I think it’s because bad actors around the world realize that Donald Trump is trying to return to the presidency and are cleaning up the country,” he said. “I think that’s a good thing and a testament to the strength of Donald Trump.”
The exchange, which involved seven countries, was the largest prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia since the end of the Cold War.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, was asked about Vance’s comments during a White House briefing on Thursday.
“I don’t know,” he said, and moved on to the next question.
The Turkish presidency, which backed the exchange, said more than 20 prisoners were involved in the swap, which was released from the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus.
President Biden confirmed in a statement that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among those released by Russia.
Others released include Ars Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen and journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent Russian opposition politician who lives in the U.S., and reportedly an ally of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Turkey says convicted Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov is among the prisoners freed by Western countries.
Reporters on Thursday asked Biden about Trump’s previous comments that he would release the hostages without giving anything in return.
“Why didn’t you do that when you were president?” Biden responded.
