'We Want Our Hostages Back': Prisoner Swap Reportedly Sped Up Due To Russians Fearing Trump's Return To The Presidency

The prisoner exchange orchestrated between the Russian government and the United States, Germany, Slovakia, and Norway last week was reportedly sped up by Moscow, with Russian officials fearing that President Donald Trump would soon return to the White House.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Russian negotiators wanted to complete the deal before the presidential election, which some officials theorized was due to the potential for Trump, who brought an unpredictable style to foreign affairs during his first term, to return to the global scene. The ex-president made it clear to the world during the Republican National Convention that he would work to get American hostages, held by both Russia and Hamas, back. "And to the entire world, I tell you this, we want our hostages back, and they better be back before I assume office, or you will be paying a very big price," Trump said, per Breitbart.

The hostage swap, one of the largest since the Cold War, had been under negotiation for a year and a half and finally concluded on a tarmac in Ankara, Turkey. In response to the hostage exchange, President Trump, who built a reputation as a strong negotiator during his first term, explained that the Russians were extorting the United States and that the deal was an incentive for Russia or other bad actors to take Americans.

"So when are they going to release the details of the prisoner swap with Russia? How many people do we get versus them? Are we also paying them cash? Are they giving us cash (Please withdraw that question, because I'm sure the answer is NO)? Are we releasing murderers, killers, or thugs?" Trump posted to Truth Social.

"Just curious because we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps. Our "negotiators" are always an embarrassment to us! I got back many hostages, and gave the opposing Country NOTHING – and never any cash. To do so is bad precedent for the future," he explained. "That's the way it should be, or this situation will get worse and worse. They are extorting the United States of America. They're calling the trade 'complex' – That's so nobody can figure out how bad it is!"

The prisoner swap saw the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan, and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to the United States while 12 political dissidents, one of whom likely would have been Putin opposition leader Alexie Navalny if he had not died in prison earlier this year, were released to Germany.

In return, the Russians will receive eight of its citizens, including Vadim Konoshchenok, Vladislav Klyushin, and Roman Seleznyov. According to CBS News, one of the most notable Russian prisoners sent back home was Vadim Krasikov, who successfully carried out an order in Germany in 2021 by the Russian government to murder a Georgian asylee who fought Russia during the Second Chechnya War. 

The hostage deal between the Biden administration and the Russian government isn't a victory for diplomacy. It will incentivize America's adversaries to take American citizens hostage abroad and likely force even more prisoner swaps to take place. President Trump's unpredictability and unorthodox thinking ensured that the United States' rivals were held at bay, and his return to the White House in November should be welcomed by America's allies and feared by its enemies.

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