The largest prisoner swap between Moscow and the West was concluded on Thursday in the Turkish capital of Ankara. Twenty-four individuals detained in seven countries were exchanged, and additionally, two children were sent home to be reunited with their parents.
Poland participated in the exchange, having released a GRU (Russian military intelligence) officer detained back in 2022.
“This evening the U.S. President Joe Biden called President Andrzej Duda to thank for the Polish assistance in freeing American citizens unlawfully detained in Russia,” the Polish President’s Office wrote on X, adding that “During the conversation, the Presidents underscored the strength of the alliance and the strategic partnership between Poland and the U.S.”
In a statement published earlier on the White House’s website and Biden’s official X profile, the U.S. President thanked Washington’s allies, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey, for helping to secure the release of political prisoners held by Russia.
“This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon. Our alliances make Americans safer. ”
The Russian military intelligence agent released by Poland as part of the exchange was Pavel Rubtsov, who was detained by Polish law enforcement services on the Polish-Ukrainian border on February 28, 2022.
He claimed to be a Spanish journalist and used the name Pablo González. Polish services have determined that he was using the status of a journalist to gather information on Ukraine for Russian special services and to gain the trust of Russian oppositionists.
A strong and lasting alliance
Speaking to the public broadcaster TVP Info on Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said: “We have gained this [proof that] we are a loyal member of NATO, a loyal ally of the U.S. and this seems to me to be a value in itself, because perhaps in a different situation, we’ll soon need, perhaps not a similar, but still a favor from the United States.”
Echoing Szejna’s words, Deputy Head of the President’s Office Piotr Ćwik said during an interview given to online media outlet wPolsce.pl that the phone call between Duda and Biden is further proof showing that the Polish-U.S. alliance is strong, lasting, built on solid foundations and that it shows Washington’s “trust in the Polish side, the Polish political scene, as well as Polish services.”
‘A feat of diplomacy’
Andrew D’Anieri of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center was TVP World’s guest invited to shed more light on the exchange called the biggest one since the end of the Cold War.
“This was a multi-year effort with lots of shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Berlin, and with other partners across the continent,” said D’Anieri. “And it’s possible that even the complexity of this deal was actually helpful in getting all these folks freed, who were unjustly detained in Russian prisons.”
Nevertheless, there is a clear asymmetry in the exchange made.
D’Anieri said: “It’s something that I don’t think we should make a habit of doing because we have to give up real criminals who harmed our societies,” although he does admit that it was necessary to get “peaceful and law-abiding people” back from Russian captivity.
Watch the whole interview below for more:
