Trump criticises prisoner swap with Russia, accuses Biden of making a ‘bad deal’

Trump demanded that the Biden Administration “reveal the details” of the exchange / Photo: EITB

Former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump criticised Thursday’s historic prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia, the largest since the Cold War, and accused the current president, Democrat Joe Biden, of making a “bad deal”.

“It’s funny because we never do good business, in anything, but even less so when it comes to hostage swaps. Our negotiators are always an embarrassment to us!” the New York tycoon said in a message on the social network Truth.

Trump demanded that the Biden administration “reveal the details” of the prisoner swap, such as the number of prisoners handed over to Russia and whether any money was paid to Moscow for the exchange.

The White House said 16 prisoners were released from Russia and in exchange eight prisoners were released from the United States, Germany, Slovenia, Norway and Poland. According to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, the agreement did not involve any payment or the lifting of any sanctions.

Among the three Americans released on Thursday is Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in Russia in 2023 and convicted of espionage.

Trump had recently said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would release Gershkovich immediately after the US election on 5 November only if he won.

During a statement at the White House, Biden repeatedly claimed that the prisoner exchange, which he called a “milestone of diplomacy and friendship between countries,” is a demonstration that the United States must have strong allies, in a veiled message to Trump, who has been highly critical of NATO.

Washington / EFE