Donald Trump has heavily criticised US President Joe Biden’s decision of the recent prisoner swap with Russia, which secured the release of American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan from Russian custody.
Even though the prisoners swap is celebrated as the biggest multi-country exchange since the Cold War, Trump has blamed Biden of mishandling the high-stakes compromise. The former president also called for additional information about the prisoner exchange and highlighted what he sees as failures in the current administration’s diplomatic strategy.
Following the release of Gershkovich and Whelan, White House officials clarified that the deal did not involve any cash exchange. However, this statement did not satisfy the GOP nominee, who took to Truth Social to confront the disagreement with unfounded claims.
‘So when are they going to release the details of the prisoner swap with Russia? 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)? Are we releasing murderers, killers, or thugs? Just curious because we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps. Our negotiators are always an embarrassment to us! I got back many hostages, and gave the opposing Country NOTHING and never any cash. 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!,’ Trump wrote.
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