Johnson and McConnell: Prisoner swap with Russia ‘does little to discourage Putin’

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) issued a joint statement on the major prisoner swap with Russia, cheering the release of Americans but expressing concern about the costs of hostage diplomacy and how the trade “does little to discourage Putin’s reprehensible behavior.”

“The release of innocent Americans and Russian political prisoners from wrongful detention is encouraging news. We eagerly await the return of Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza to their homes and loved ones and will continue pressing for all Americans to be released,” Johnson and McConnell said in a statement Thursday.

The prisoner swap marked the largest exchange of prisoners since the Cold War and involved seven countries. In addition to the four Americans, five Germans and seven Russian citizens were freed. In total, 24 prisoners were exchanged.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, had been jailed on espionage charges in Russia in March 2023 and convicted in what U.S. officials called a sham trial. Whelan, a former Marine, was first arrested in 2018 and convicted on spying charges that he denied. 

“Their unjust captivity will be an enduring reminder of the Russian government’s longstanding fear of free people and the free press. And the continued imprisonment of American citizens and innocent Russians is a damning indictment of Vladimir Putin’s hostility to the United States and his disdain for the rule of law,” Johnson and McConnell continued.

The two top Republicans in Congress then turned to their concerns about hostage diplomacy.

“Without serious action to deter further hostage-taking by Russia, Iran, and other states hostile to the United States, the costs of hostage diplomacy will continue to rise. As we renew our call for the return of all persons wrongfully detained by the Kremlin, we recognize that trading hardened Russian criminals for innocent Americans does little to discourage Putin’s reprehensible behavior,” the two GOP leaders said.

Among the Russians released was Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for killing a Georgian citizen in Berlin and was believed to have acted on the orders of Russian authorities — and whom Russia was particularly interested in releasing.

Earlier on Thursday, former President Trump took to his site Truth Social asking for more details about the prisoner exchange, and questioning whether the U.S. paid for the release of the 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)?” Trump said in part of his post.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said that no money was exchanged as part of the prisoner swap.