Biden: Paul Whelan's 'brutal ordeal is over' after release from prison in Russia

With Paul Whelan's sister, Elizabeth, standing beside him in the White House, President Joe Biden on Thursday declared it "a very good afternoon" as he announced Whelan, a Novi resident and former Marine, and other prisoners held by Russia had been released in a prisoner swap and were flying back to the U.S.

"Now, their brutal ordeal is over and they’re free," Biden said, describing a complicated prisoner swap that saw several countries involved and eight Russians held in western prisons released for 16 prisoners held in Russia.

The group included three American citizens: Whelan, and journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, as well as Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian journalist with permanent resident status in the U.S.

Biden, it was revealed later in the day by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, was personally involved in the diplomatic efforts involved over months and years, noting he called the prime minister of Slovenia to make the final arrangements on Sunday, July 21 ? a short time before he made the historic decision to step down as the Democratic nominee for a second term, having been pushed by many members of his party to do so.

"This was vintage Joe Biden," Sullivan said, describing the statecraft involved in developing what he called "one of the largest and certainly the most complex exchange in history."

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were expected to meet Whelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva when their aircraft lands at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington Thursday night. Kara-Murza was flying to a destination in Europe.

Whelan had been held for more than five years by Russian authorities on what his family and the U.S. government insisted were trumped up charges of espionage. Biden said he and the family members who were gathered at the White House — including Elizabeth Whelan, who has been a tireless advocate for her brother — spoke to their relatives from the Oval Office following the swap in Turkey, just as they were about to leave for the U.S.

More: Paul Whelan released from Russia in prisoner swap that includes reporter Evan Gershkovich

Biden said he told the former prisoners "welcome almost-home."

At one point during his remarks to the press, Biden turned and took Elizabeth Whelan's hand in his own.

"They never gave up hope," he said. "I can't imagine what they've been through."

Biden also led the press corps gathered for the remarks in the singing of "Happy Birthday" for Kurmasheva's daughter, Miriam, who will celebrate her 13th birthday on Friday.

"Tomorrow's a big day," Biden said.

More: Paul Whelan's brother gives family statement following release from Russia

Speaking of Whelan, who was detained in December 2018, Biden said he began work on his and other detainee's cases even before he took office in January 2021 and rejected former President Donald Trump's suggestion that he could easily have freed those being held. "Why didn't he do it when he was president?" Biden asked.

Biden said Paul Whelan was simply attending a wedding in Russia when he was picked up. All of them, Biden said, were convicted in "show trials" and sentenced to "long prison terms with absolutely no legitimate reason."

Thanking the governments of Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey for their efforts in the long negotiation, Biden also took another jab at Trump, who has often spoken dismissively of America's European allies.

More: Michigan leaders react to release of Paul Whelan

"For anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do… Our alliances make our people safe," Biden said.

"In just a few hours, we’ll welcome home our fellow Americans," he said.

An emotional day for all involved

Sullivan, the national security adviser, spoke to the press corps at the White House following Biden's remarks, describing how the president routinely brought a group of negotiators together to discuss how they could move forward with winning the release of Whelan and the others.

He said some of the eight Russians were released from U.S. custody and that the prisoners released from Russian captivity also included five Germans and seven Russians held for political reasons.

Sullivan acknowledged that efforts were underway to include Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader, in the swap before he died in February. He stopped short of giving anyone complete credit for the proposal, saying it came together over months as an "organic process involving a lot of people across our government."

But Sullivan said Biden's relationships with foreign leaders and diplomatic knowledge honed through decades as a U.S. senator and vice president played a vital role. "If you had not had Joe Biden sitting in the Oval Office, I don’t think this would have happened," Sullivan said.

Sullivan also described how, once the swap happened in Turkey, Biden invited the families in to talk with their loved ones. "To say everyone in the room was overjoyed ? even at a loss for words ? is an understatement," he said.

At one point, Sullivan caught himself while talking to the press about all the "tough conversations" he and other administration officials had with the prisoners' families over the course of negotiations as he became emotional himself.

"Today was a very good day," he said.

Contact Todd Spangler: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Biden speaks on prisoner swap with Russia that included Paul Whelan