Former President Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon demanded details about the massive East-West prisoner exchange that resulted in the freedom of imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, questioning how "bad" the deal was.
"So when are they going to release the details of the prisoner swap with Russia?" the GOP presidential nominee said in a Truth Social post. "How many people do we get versus them? Are we also paying them cash? Are they giving us cash (Please withdraw that question, because I'm sure the answer is NO)"
Jake Sullivan, U.S. national security adviser, pushed back on the notion that cash was spent to secure the prisoner release, and said during Thursday's White House press briefing that the swap did not include the exchange of money or sanctions relief for Russia.
Trump, though, said that he is "just curious because we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps."
Trump further contended that U.S. "'negotiators' are always an embarrassment."
"I got back many hostages, and gave the opposing Country NOTHING — and never any cash," said Trump. "To do so is bad precedent for the future. That's the way it should be, or this situation will get worse and worse. They are extorting the United States of America. They're calling the trade "complex" — That's so nobody can figure out how bad it is!"
President Joe Biden, in a statement, said that in addition to Whelan and Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza were also released, meaning that "three American citizens and one American green-card holder who were unjustly imprisoned" are coming home.
In all, 16 people were released to the West, including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who had been held as political prisoners, some for several years, said Biden.
Russia, meanwhile, secured the return of Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted in Germany in 2021 of killing a former Chechen rebel in Berlin; two alleged sleeper agents who were jailed in Slovenia; a convicted computer hacker, and a suspected Russian intelligence agent who had been accused of providing U.S. made electronics and ammunition to Russia.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.