WASHINGTON: Former president Donald Trump said on Friday the prisoner swap between the United States and Russia was a “win” for President Vladimir Putin as he continued to offer baseless speculation over the agreement.

Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, two other Americans and a green card holder are back in the United States after being freed by Putin as part of a massive, multi-country East-West prisoner exchange.

Trump, the Republican nominee for the November 5 presidential election, set out in an interview with Fox Business why the exchange was bad news for America as he sought to downplay President Joe Biden’s success in securing the deal.

“The Russians made a great deal. I’m not going to criticise it, because it’s good to have them home, but they got a phenomenal deal, and that sets a very bad precedent,” he said, calling it a “win for Putin”.

Gershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, along with legal permanent resident Vladimir Kara-Murza, were among 16 prisoners released by Russia.

Elite hitman Vadim Krasikov was among eight Russians released from custody in the West. He had been jailed in Ger­many over the 2019 assassination of a former Che­chen commander near the parliament building in Berlin.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told journalists at the White House no money or sanctions were used to facilitate the swap.

Nevertheless, Trump said that while it was “wonderful” to have Gershkovich returning home, “these deals are so bad, these deals are going to lead to tremendous kidnappings”.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2024