- Donald Trump congratulates Vladimir Putin on a "great" deal with Russia
Former U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the latest prisoner swap with the West. "I want to congratulate Vladimir Putin for once again making a great deal," the Republican presidential candidate said at a campaign event in Atlanta, Georgia. For the agreement, some of the world's worst killers were released. "We got our people back," Trump said, but also complained that the U.S. makes "terrible" deals. The agreement sets a bad precedent.
During his time in office, Trump also secured the release of Americans detained abroad, stating, "I never paid anything." The Republican had previously criticized the latest deal with Russia and implied, without evidence, that money had exchanged hands for the prisoner swap.
Trump's proximity to Putin has been a subject of speculation. During his presidency, the Republican was often accused of pandering to the Kremlin leader. Notably, Trump questioned U.S. intelligence findings about Russian interference in the U.S. elections at a summit with Putin in Helsinki in 2018, causing a stir in the U.S.
In an unprecedented prisoner swap on Thursday, Russia and Belarus released 16 people, including journalists, artists, opposition figures, and activists. In exchange, ten people were handed over to Moscow from prisons in various countries, including convicted "Tiergarten murderer" Vadim Krasikov, who was in custody in Germany. The U.S. government facilitated the swap with the help of several other countries to secure the release of U.S. citizens Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan from Russian custody.
The United States government played a key role in facilitating the prisoner swap between Russia and other countries, aiming to bring back U.S. citizens Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan who were in Russian custody. Previously, during his presidency, Donald Trump secured the release of several Americans detained abroad in various nations.
