Former President Trump called this week's massive prisoner exchange with Russia that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Well as usual, it was a win for Putin or any other country that deals with us. But we got somebody back, so I’m never going to be challenging that," Trump told Maria Bartiromo of Fox Business Network in an interview recorded Thursday and broadcast Friday.
"This deal that was made today, I think it’s wonderful that Evan’s coming back. I think it’s great. But these deals are so bad. These deals are going to lead to tremendous kidnappings," he added.
In total, two dozen people and seven countries were involved in Thursday’s prisoner exchange.
Russia received eight prisoners who were being held abroad on various charges and released 16, many of whom were being wrongfully held or were severely sentenced for minor offenses.
That included Gershkovich, who was arrested in Yekaterinburg in March 2023 and accused of collecting state secrets on the Russian military on behalf of the U.S. government. He became the first American journalist to be detained in Russia since the Cold War and was sentenced in July to 16 years in prison.
It also included Whelan, who was arrested in 2018 while Trump was in office and later convicted of spying, charges that he, his family and the U.S. deny. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said no money was exchanged as part of the deal, nor was there any agreement to loosen sanctions on Russia.
Trump has routinely criticized the Biden administration for engaging in prisoner swaps and pointed to his own record of bringing home Americans held abroad.
He had previously said he would free Gershkovich if he wins the election in November and claimed as recently as July 20 that President Biden would not be able to get him out of prison.
