White House national security spokesman John Kirby said "nobody's delighted" about certain elements of the United States' prisoner swap with Russia, reported The Hill.
"Look, nobody's delighted or doing backflips over here because Mr. [Vadim] Krasikov is now a free man," Kirby told Fox News. "That's what negotiations are all about."
According to The Associated Press, Krasikov had been in a German prison since 2019 serving a murder conviction for killing a Georgian citizen who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and later claimed asylum in Germany.
"The president was willing to make that tough call in order to get these ... all these individuals — not just the Americans, all of them — released. And it took some tough calls by our allies and partners, including Chancellor [Olaf] Scholz in Germany, who actually had to let Mr. Krasikov go," he said.
President Joe Biden released a statement in response to the largest swap since the Cold War, saying the country rejoices with the families of those released, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
"We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world. And reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong," he said.
Wall Street Journal editor in chief Emma Tucker in a Thursday letter said the paper is grateful to the Biden administration for "working with persistence and determination" to bring their colleague home "rather than see him shipped off to a Russian work camp for a crime he didn't commit."
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