Statement About Release of American Citizens From Russia
(AP Photo)
WASHINGTON – The Wilson Center is a unique institution in American foreign policy. Congressionally chartered, scholarship driven, fiercely independent and nonpartisan. Our special status brings with it certain obligations: to not duplicate what others are doing, but instead to prioritize the most important issues —the issues that matter most to America and the values we hold dear.
The United States together with European partners negotiated a successful prisoner swap with Russia to release more than a dozen detainees including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, pro-democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, and RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and other hostages. This is one of the largest prisoner exchanges between the US and Russia since the Cold War.
“The Wilson Center welcomes the release of US citizens Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, and US resident Vladimir Kara-Murza who were unjustly detained and held hostage in Russia by Putin and the Kremlin”, said Wilson Center President and CEO Ambassador (ret.) Mark A. Green. “Putin's use of taking hostages to further his own agenda is abhorrent. We must ensure that the international community does not reward such behavior and continues to hold Putin and the Kremlin accountable for their nefarious activities.”
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