The former Marine who spent more than 2,000 days in Russian custody spoke out after a historic, multi-country prisoner swap allowed him and three other to return to the U.S.
Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva deplaned shortly before 4:30 a.m. eastern at Joint Base San Antonio, officially marking the beginning of their next chapter, free and back home in the United States.
The three embraced one another for a photo surrounded by their loved ones and held up the Hostages and Wrongful Detainees flag.
“This is us down here,” Whelan said pointing to three slash marks on the bottom of the flag, “Those last three, that’s us.”
Upon their arrival, they were greeted by officials who gave them instructions on immediate next steps. Col. Davis explained that they would first send them for a medical assessment while their families stayed overnight in hotels off base.
Whelan wore the American flag pin given to him by President Biden at Joint Base Andrews — “It’s a keepsake.”
Whelan criticized the “nonsense narrative [the Russian government] came up with” for his imprisonment.
“So, you know, this is how Putin runs his government. This is how Putin runs his country. Yeah, I’m glad I’m home. Yeah. I’m never going back there again,” he said, with a smile.
He also said he had received thousands of letters of support, so many that the Russian Federal Security Service “stopped giving them to him.”
“I just say thank you to everybody. You know, thank you for all your prayers, your your, you know, good wishes. Thanks for doing everything you did,” he said.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan described the emotional scenes on “Good Morning America” on Friday morning, saying that working on the deal that brought the American prisoners home was one of the biggest honors of his life.
“It was such a human victory. Three innocent people reunited with their families, their loved ones. Getting to see that was just incredible,” Sullivan said. “But I think it was also a victory for our country. This was the United States of America at its best, working with our allies to bring our people home safe, also to help free freedom fighters. Russians who have fought for democracy and were thrown in prison. That was one of the most extraordinary honors of my life.”
Sullivan was also asked to respond to criticism that these types of deals only encourage Putin to imprison more Americans and use them as bargaining chips in the future.
“We looked at the evidence over the last 3 and a half years. If you go back to the beginning of the Biden administration, there were more unjustly detained Americans overseas than there are today,” Sullivan said. “We’ve done deals that got 70 Americans out. We haven’t seen another 70 Americans taken. Could that change in the future? That’s possible. These are the risks you to weigh when you made hard decisions like the president did to get Americans home. In the cost benefit analysis, it made sense to do this deal because America gained and innocent Americans are home free and safe.”
Former prisoner released by Russia, former US marine Paul Whelan looks on after landing at Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field, Texas, on August 2, 2024. Journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow prisoners released by Russia landed in the United States late August 1, as part of an extraordinary swap deal struck between Washington and Moscow. A plane carrying Gershkovich, former US marine Paul Whelan, and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva landed at around 11:40 pm (0340 GMT) at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, where President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were waiting to greet them.
Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the three Americans freed from Russian custody as they arrived back on American soil and reunited with their families.
Biden hugged Paul Whelan and the vice president greeted the former Marine as he arrived on the tarmac. Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, also on the tarmac awaiting his arrival when he landed.
When Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich arrived on the tarmac, a cheer erupted. He and Biden shook hands and spoke for some time before a long and emotional hug took place between the journalist and his mother, Ella Milman, who was picked up during their embrace at one point.
Alsu Kurmasheva was also welcomed by Biden and Harris. In an emotional moment, she was reunited with her daughters before Biden came over and talked to them as they hugged.
Biden interacted very freely with the press, taking the chance to speak to reporters multiple times on the tarmac.
When asked by a reporter whether he ever thought this moment would come, Biden’s simple reply was “yes.” And when asked what made him so confident, he said it was his relationships with the “other heads of state.”
Biden was also subsequently asked what his message to Vladmir Putin after the former prisoners were back on American soil.
“Stop,” Biden said.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greet Evan Gershkovic, who was released from detention in Russia, upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., August 1, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Biden also said that the scene playing out behind him was the “essence” of America.
“To me, this is about the essence of who we are as a country. It really is about personal relationships,” Biden said. “It’s about family. It’s about being able to have access to the people you love.”
One reporter asked him what the hardest part of securing the deal was.
“The toughest call was for one of the other countries because I asked them to do some things that were against their immediate self-interest,” said Biden. “It was really very difficult for them do, particularly Germany. Slovenia really came at the last minute and I tell you what, [the] chancellor was incredible.”
Biden was also asked about whether he was making calls to secure this deal within the hour that he announced his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
“I would get this done even if I was seeking a second term. You’re stuck with me as president for a while, kid, there’s no way out, okay,” Biden said. “You got me for at least another 100 — 90 days or so. So it had to do with that. It had to do with the opportunity trying to convince one last country to say okay, they’ll step up.”
When asked about whether this deal would be part of his legacy, Biden sidestepped, saying it’s something to talk about “another time.”
“This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances this criticism, incredible day saving families, in their eyes and in their cries,” Harris said as the Kurmasheva family could be heard crying behind her when they were reunited.
