White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed criticism of the release of Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, who is serving time for three Americans and other dissidents held in Russia.
Former Marine Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Russian-American journalist Arus Kurmasheva were released Thursday in a multinational prisoner swap that’s said to be the largest between the United States and Russia since the Cold War.
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Former Russian prisoners Evan Gershkovich, Ars Kurmaseva and Paul Whelan spoke by phone with President Joe Biden on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (White House)
Krasikov, who was convicted of murder in 2019, was released in a prisoner swap with Germany and was seen embracing Russian President Putin in Moscow upon his return.
An undated photo seen by Reuters shows Vadim Krasikov, a Russian hitman given a life sentence for the assassination of a Chechen-Georgian dissident in a Berlin park in 2021, in Berlin, Germany, August 1, 2024. (Photo obtained by Reuters)
Bayer, Citing Newsweekpointed to criticism that the prisoner swap was “hailed as a ‘success’ by President Vladimir Putin.”
Kirby told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier on “Special Report” that the decision to release Krasikov took “a lot of moral courage” from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“Some people are happy that Krasikov is free, no one is ecstatic. That’s what negotiations are about. Negotiations require tough decisions, tough judgments, and the president was prepared to make those tough judgments to free these people, not just Americans but everyone,” he said.
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“In the end, if you think about it, yes, on the Russian side everyone is a criminal and on the Western side everyone is innocent. But on balance, I think we can all agree that it’s better that innocent people don’t have to rot in Russian prisons for the rest of their lives. And on balance, I think that’s what happened in the end.”
This photo released by the White House shows Evan Gershkovich (left), Ars Kurmaseva (right) and Paul Whelan (second from right) boarding a plane on Thursday, August 1, 2024, after being released from Russian captivity. (The White House via The Associated Press)
Kirby said it was not new for Putin and Russia to “unjustly” detain Americans to use them as bargaining chips in future negotiations.
“This behavior is not likely to change anytime soon, which is why we strongly encourage Americans not to travel to Russia,” he said. “You run a high risk of being detained in Russia. Don’t go. If you’re in Russia right now, get out.”
Gershkovich, Whelan and Kurmasheva are scheduled to land at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland late Thursday night.
US President Joe Biden spoke about the release of four people who were being held in Russia – Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Arus Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza – at a short event at the White House in Washington, US, on August 1, 2024, in the presence of several relatives. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)
Kirby said the White House was also working to secure the release of Mark Fogel, an American teacher serving a 14-year sentence in a Russian prison for possessing medical marijuana.
“We are currently in discussions with the Russians to see what we can do to bring Mr. Vogel home,” he told Bayer. “We will continue our efforts.”
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“We will do everything in our power to deport all Americans who are wrongfully detained to their home countries, and to deport all Americans who are wrongfully detained overseas, whether they are wrongfully detained or not.”
