The largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War took place between Russia and Belarus on one side and Western countries on the other. Our journalist Jan Niedziałek talked about it with Jill Dougherty, former CNN bureau chief in Moscow and a lecturer at Georgetown University.
On Thursday, August 1, Ankara saw a prisoner exchange involving prisoners from the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus. Those who regained their freedom included Russian oppositionist Vladimir Kara-Murza and American journalist Evan Gershkovich. Poland, for its part, handed over GRU agent Pablo Gonzalez, or rather Pavel Rubtsov.
Jill Dougherty said the Kremlin showed the Russians that it supported its people by agreeing to the swap. For Joe Biden’s administration, it is a success that could help Kamala Harris win the presidential election.
– When we see the pictures that are now appearing in the American media, those Americans who do not follow foreign policy must be really happy when they see these Americans who were held in terrible conditions returning home. It is something very positive for the entire administration – assessed Jill Dougherty.
The question is whether the negotiations between the West and Russia that led to the release of hostages and prisoners can help with negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. “I don't think so. I think Putin just has it in a completely different pigeonhole. Ukraine is one thing for him, hostages are something else. Hostages are easier for him in the long run, Ukraine will be harder,” said Jill Dougherty.
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