Reaction to major East-West prisoner swap

Reaction to major East-West prisoner swap

Here is international reaction to Thursday's East-West prisoner exchange:

WALL STREET JOURNAL

Wall Street Journal editor Emma Tucker, whose correspondent Evan Gershkovich was included in the exchange, said the swap "done in a trade for Russian operatives guilty of serious crimes was predictable as the only solution given President (Vladimir) Putin's cynicism.

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"We are grateful to President (Joe) Biden and his administration for working with persistence and determination to bring Evan home rather than see him shipped off to a Russian work camp for a crime he didn’t commit."

UNITED STATES

President Biden said the exchange was "a feat of diplomacy and friendship" and praised Washington's allies for their "bold and brave decisions".

“This would not have been possible without our allies," he said, adding: "Today is a powerful example of why it's vital to have friends in this world."

GERMANY

Germany said the release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian convicted of the murder in 2019 of a former Chechen militant in Berlin, was "not an easy decision".

"Our obligation to protect German nationals and our solidarity with the USA were important motivations," the government said in a statement.

RUSSIA

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The Kremlin, speaking on the day of the exchange, said it hoped those who had left Russia, whom it described as "enemies", would stay away, according to the state-run TASS news agency.