Are They Being Paid in Cash?

Former President and current US presidential candidate Donald Trump has called out the White House for transparency regarding the recent August 1 prisoner exchange deal involving Russia, the US, Germany, and other Western nations. Trump questioned whether the American government paid for the exchange and criticized the negotiation process. He highlighted his own track record of returning hostages without financial concessions and warned against setting a precedent of paying for prisoner exchanges. In response to Trump’s comments, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan clarified that no money was paid, and current sanctions remained unaffected. The exchange, considered the largest since World War II, saw Russia trading 16 hostages from Western countries for 10 of its own, coordinated by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization.
The deal had been shrouded in secrecy, with speculations and rumors circulating before the public announcement of the exchange in Ankara. Trump’s criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of prisoner releases in Russia is not unexpected, as he has previously claimed he would have negotiated without conceding anything to Russia. Biden, in response, questioned why Trump did not secure the detainees’ release during his presidency.\

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