The three Americans who were freed from Russia are reunited with their families after a historic prisoner swap between Russia and the United States Thursday.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were the first to greet the three freed Americans when they landed on U.S. soil Thursday night.
The historic prisoner swap with Russia included the release of American journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
In total, the U.S. secured the release of 16 individuals, including five wrongfully detained Germans and seven Russian citizens, in return for eight Russians held in the U.S., Germany, Poland, Norway and Slovenia.
It marked the largest prisoner swap between the United States and Russia since the Cold War.
According to VOA, "Sullivan said the deal also marks the first time so many countries and allies worked together to secure the release of wrongfully detained individuals.
Alongside the Americans, the deal secures the release of German nationals and Russian political prisoners, including Dieter Voronin, Kevin Lick, Rico Krieger, Patrick Schoebel, Herman Moyzhes, Ilya Yashin, Liliya Chanysheva, Kseniya Fadeyeva, Vadim Ostanin, Andrey Pivovarov, Oleg Orlov, and Sasha Skochilenko.
“Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement. “The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy.”
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