In the room for today’s special White House announcementpublished at 18:22
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
Image source, Getty ImagesI attend events at the White House with President Joe Biden fairly often – a few times a week.
Today’s address in the State Dining room was starkly different to the majority of events I’ve attended here – it was happy, good news, and the president and his team weren’t on the defensive.
It was a celebration, and that was written all over the faces of Biden and the families of Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza.
“This is a relief for those who have been praying for this day for a long time,” Biden said. “They’re on their way home to see their families.”
Biden did not go into much detail into the “difficult, complex” negotiations that led to today’s swap.
One thing, however, is clear: the White House could not have done this without the cooperation of its allies abroad, particularly Germany.
“For anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do. They matter,” he said, a remark likely to be interpreted as a thinly veiled swipe at his predecessor, Donald Trump, whom many at the White House have publicly criticised for lacking commitment to US allies.
Asked about the release of alleged Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov – a reporter asked if he was “getting away with murder” – Biden responded, without hesitation, that reuniting families was more important.
“That’s what this is all about,” Biden said. “Families able to be together again.”