Putin praises Saudi crown prince for ‘active role’ in historic prisoner swap with US involving Gershkovich

Mohammed bin Salman facilitated the exchange involving the American journalist, the Russian president has said

Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, was among the world leaders who helped Moscow and Washington negotiate a historic prisoner exchange, Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed.

The powerful member of the Saudi ruling family “played an active role in the first phase of negotiations,” the Russian leader said on Thursday during a panel discussion hosted by the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

“We are grateful to him, because this resulted in the return of our citizens to their homeland,” Putin said.

The president also thanked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for providing the venue to conduct the exchange, which took place in early August. Several other nations contributed to the deal, he added.

A total of 26 people were swapped following lengthy negotiations, which also involved Germany and Belarus. The scale of the event was the largest since the Cold War. Among those on the list was Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was convicted in Russia earlier this year on espionage charges.

READ MORE: What’s the difference between Evan Gershkovich and Julian Assange?

Putin reiterated that, contrary to claims by the US government and Gershkovich’s employer, he had been illegally collecting intelligence in Russia. The exchange was in everyone’s interests, he added.

Moscow sees it as a success, since some of the Russians who were released had “conducted special missions on foreign soil in the interests of the motherland,” the president said.