we plane. it's good to washington. we will go to will grant now in washington. tell us more about evan gershkovich? that washington. tell us more about evan gershkovich?— gershkovich? that is the official word from _ gershkovich? that is the official word from his _ gershkovich? that is the official word from his employer, - gershkovich? that is the officiali word from his employer, hugely important today. everyjournalist important today. every journalist will important today. everyjournalist will in that newsroom will have wanted to see this, every editor who has ever worked on that newspaper will have wanted to see this. anyone working on the wall streetjournal would have been hoping for this day without getting their expectations too high because it isjust so complex, but their real, putting it out there now that he is a free man. real cause for celebration, notjust for the wall streetjournal, for us journalism in general. we heard from the committee to protect journalists, those sorts of organisations have been working very hard to secure his release, keeping up hard to secure his release, keeping up the pressure on diplomats and the biden administration and whoever might have some clout in terms of being able to bring this up at

high—level meetings, underlining his name, underlining the injustice of his arrest and his imprisonment. so yeah, hugely important that it has been confirmed by the wall street journal. we are still obviously waiting to hear more details from the state department or the white house, beyond the fact that he is part of the prisoner swap, but we know now that it is just a question of time before he steps back on us soil. a day which, beyond the journalism and the journalists involved, his family we have been barely bringing themselves to hope that they would actually see. and yet now it is just a couple of hours away. yet now it is 'ust a couple of hours awa . , . ., ~ yet now it is 'ust a couple of hours awa. , away. yes, and talking in previous months, while _ away. yes, and talking in previous months, while this _ away. yes, and talking in previous months, while this whole - away. yes, and talking in previous months, while this whole episode | away. yes, and talking in previous - months, while this whole episode has been unfolding in russia, been arrested, appearing in court and so forth, journalists saying how much he loves russia, how he wanted to tell the stories of russia, but as a

representative of a prominent us paper like the wall streetjournal, paper like the wall street journal, he paper like the wall streetjournal, he obviously presented himself therefore is someone that could be valuable to russia in the sorts of exchanges?— valuable to russia in the sorts of exchanaes? , ., , , , exchanges? yes, the worst possible osition to exchanges? yes, the worst possible position to find _ exchanges? yes, the worst possible position to find yourself _ exchanges? yes, the worst possible position to find yourself in _ exchanges? yes, the worst possible position to find yourself in as - exchanges? yes, the worst possible position to find yourself in as a - position to find yourself in as a journalist is a politically useful pawn in a much wider game, while all you were trying to do was yourjob, tell the stories of the people, the nation where you are working and the hostile nation. you have done that knowingly, you have gone there, you have been posted there because he wanted to challenge yourself as a journalist and you have a passion for the country you are working on, you want to tell the story is involved and now you find yourself trapped in what is nothing less than a living nightmare. but through it all, whenever we saw him in court, his spirit seem to be up, he gave a thumbs up and a smile to the other journalists who were there, he seemed to have a resilience that will have served him well because,

as i know frank has been saying, the conditions in which you will have been kept will have been horrific and the sense of helplessness, i think, must be extremely difficult to cope with, the idea that there are machinations far above your pay grade, as it were, as is a journalist, that go, the two genuinely most powerful leaders of the world, arguably, talking about you and your personal circumstances must feel very, very daunting. that nightmare is now behind him. and that will be obviously cause for celebration among those in the biden administration who worked to secure his release. i think there will be an element of sort of toning down the celebration a little bit because it isn'tjust, you know, the cause forjubilation. there are many, many other political prisoners, many other political prisoners, many other people who have strong, strong case to have been part of this

prisoner swap won't have been able to be involved. nevertheless, all of that hard work to secure evan gershkovich�*s release now has come to fruition and we have his newspaper, the wall streetjournal, newspaper, the wall street journal, confirming newspaper, the wall streetjournal, confirming that on twitter. and confirming that on twitter. and will, 'ust confirming that on twitter. and will, just bear _ confirming that on twitter. and will, just bear with me while i bring our viewers a bit more information. this is the us national security advisor, jake sullivan, saying that that prisoner exchange includes three americans, one us resident, five germans and seven russian political prisoners. that detail from the us russian political prisoners. that detailfrom the us national security adviser. i havejust been detailfrom the us national security adviser. i have just been looking and we have it on our screen again, at one of those tweets from the wall streetjournal, saying... russia has three to the wrongly convicted wall streetjournal reporter, evan gershkovich, ince part of the largest and most complex east— west prisoner swap since the cold war. in

the last few minutes another tweet from them saying, the evan gershkovich case unfolded over three continents involving spy players, political ad series and is loosest advocate, his mum. no doubt a political on an operation, painstaking and detailed, has gone on and taking a very long time to make this exchange happened. yes. make this exchange happened. yes, absolutel , make this exchange happened. yes, absolutely, this _ make this exchange happened. yes, absolutely, this is _ make this exchange happened. yes, absolutely, this is not _ make this exchange happened. 1&1: absolutely, this is not an easy thing is to achieve at the best of times and these are far from the best of times. there is a full—scale war taking place in ukraine, relations between washington and moscow are at an all—time low since certainly the end of the cold war. within that context, somehow through the open channels of communication they have secured this release and those of the other direction. now, that does tell us that those channels of communication have remained open throughout this time

and that is perhaps encouraging beyond the question of the individual cases involved today. but yes, the management of the agencies involved, the number of nations that it involves, seven different countries and nationalities from those nations, you know, the intricacies of the operation, it is not something that can be pulled off easily or in a short space of time to stop but when all of those things come together in concert, when it has been orchestrated to this point, as it looks like it now clearly has been, then you gets his moment of breakthrough when it all clicks into position now. i remember in cuba, for example, during a moment of important breakthrough with washington, prisoner swaps or a big part of it. we wouldn't be able to say that there is more kind of diplomatic inroads being made beyond this moment, but it is an important moment in that regard, as the wall

streetjournal says, moment in that regard, as the wall streetjournalsays, not moment in that regard, as the wall streetjournal says, not least for street journal says, not least for evan streetjournal says, not least for evan gershkovich�*s mum and his family. evan gershkovich's mum and his famil . �* , ., ., , family. i'm 'ust going to interrupt ou family. i'm just going to interrupt you because _ family. i'm just going to interrupt you because we _ family. i'm just going to interrupt you because we are _ family. i'm just going to interrupt you because we are hearing - family. i'm just going to interrupt you because we are hearing a - family. i'm just going to interrupt you because we are hearing a bit| you because we are hearing a bit more than the white house. it is hailing this prisoner swap as historic. they are saying the agreement releases 16 people detained in russia in exchange for eight people held in the us, germany, norway, slovenia and poland. jake sullivan, the national security adviser, confirming what we have been saying, that this prisoner exchange is the biggest since the cold war. three american citizens, one green card holder are coming home and we understand that president biden is to meet the families of the americans released on thursday at the white house and speak to the nation. the white house is saying that this swap is the result of intense diplomacy involving multiple countries and the administration says that the us is still trying to secure the release of teacher mark fogel. so it looks like that is one person who is not

on this list, but the white house hailing the prisoner swap as historic. and let me also tell you a bit more about the wall street journal, which is giving us more insight into what is happening today. evan gershkovich's mother, eleanor, was told to come to the white house, to arrive morning meeting with president biden, on the 49ist meeting with president biden, on the 49ist day of her son's detention. she had been told to bring her husband and her daughter, danielle, in a three—minute call that ended with the strict instruction to tell no one. what she didn't know was that 5000 miles away, as the wall streetjournal writes it, evan gershkovich was in his final hours in russia's custody. across europe planes were ferrying the other human pieces of a fragile puzzle, among them two other americans and eight russians who had together served decades in political prisons and

penal colonies, says the wall street journal. so that is a bit more of the of what was going on behind the scenes, that really human story of the families of those political prisoners, people accused of espionage by russia as well. what was going on with their families and incited what was happening with evan gershkovich's family. so just a reminder, the white house hailing this swap, this prisoner exchange as historic and we are told that president biden is going to make an address in approximately 20 minutes. 20 minutes, iam being told. of course, this is a huge dealfor the white house, which has been working behind the scenes to try to secure the release of evan gershkovich and others for a long time. we still don't have, though, that full list of names. 2a prisoners, as well as

two minors, who were the children of a couple convicted of spying. they are on their way back to russia. let mejust pop back are on their way back to russia. let me just pop back to washington, if i can, i think will grant is still listening to us. well, just while i was talking, they managed to gather any more details about everything thatis any more details about everything that is happening? i any more details about everything that is happening?— any more details about everything that is happening? i think you have summarised _ that is happening? i think you have summarised the _ that is happening? i think you have summarised the most _ that is happening? i think you have summarised the most important i that is happening? i think you have - summarised the most important points there, that is for sure. i think those numbers are fascinating, i6 those numbers are fascinating, 16 from the us side in exchange for eight in the other direction. that is something that simply, in terms of the numbers, looked good for the biden administration. they can certainly make the most of that. the interesting part of having briefed the families and now meeting them at the families and now meeting them at the address to the nation will be absolutely fascinating to watch. as you can imagine, we will see a very content president biden, but also i think aware of the gravity and the kind of history of the moment. he is

not necessarily going to be too jovial, i wouldn't think, but certainly he is going to be celebrating this moment. he will have the family members there with him, the confirmation by that stage that they are in a safe place and on their way back to the united states, which is the news those families have wanted for so long. so yes, this, i think, have wanted for so long. so yes, this, ithink, will have wanted for so long. so yes, this, i think, will be chalked up as nothing but a huge win by the bad administration, certainly by the supporters, certainly by the harris campaign —— a huge win by the biden administration. and i suspect we will hear a huge reference to it throughout the campaign. qm. will hear a huge reference to it throughout the campaign. 0k, thank ou ve throughout the campaign. 0k, thank you very much _ throughout the campaign. 0k, thank you very much there, _ throughout the campaign. ok, thank you very much there, will— throughout the campaign. 0k, thank you very much there, will grant - throughout the campaign. 0k, thank you very much there, will grant and| you very much there, will grant and washington. a bit more detailfrom a statement from president biden describing the deal that secured the freedom of three american citizens and one american green card holder as, a feat of diplomacy. he said a

all told, we have negotiated the release of 16 people from russia, including five germans and seven russian citizens, who were political prisoners in their own countries. president biden goes on... are some of these men and women have been unjustly held for years, all have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. today their agony is over. he also expresses his gratitude to us allies who have stood alongside america throughout these complex negotiations. just a reminder, we are expecting to hear from president biden in around 15 minutes' time. so a lot of reaction from the us there. let's go to our russia correspondence, older. what more are we hearing about all of this from moscow? film. more are we hearing about all of this from moscow?— more are we hearing about all of this from moscow? oh, that is a very aood this from moscow? oh, that is a very good question- _ this from moscow? oh, that is a very good question. much _ this from moscow? oh, that is a very good question. much less _ this from moscow? oh, that is a very good question. much less reaction i good question. much less reaction from moscow, at least by official channels. journalists of russia's state media are already discussing

the details and naming some people, but these are not official sources, they are citing their sources. it seems that in exchange for journalist evan gershkovich, another journalist, us citizen and a russian citizen, and also some other political prisoners. alsu kurmasheva is a journalist. russia is getting mostly members of the russian security forces. for example, it is suggested that russia is getting vadim krasikov, who was found guilty by a german court of assassinating a chechen field commander. he is believed to be a kernel of the russian security services. also a russian security services. also a russian family couple who was found guilty in slovenia of spying. another example here is a man who was posing as a brazilian. he was in norway and once again found guilty of trying to possess secret, top secret information. and in the number of western countries involved in this negotiation shows you the

scale of russian spy operations abroad because all of those people, most of those people were accused or detained on the suspicion of being members of the russian security services, spying or trying to act under russian orders in order to bend our sanctions. so this shows exactly how russia is in the west, trying to pursue its own goals. and it betrays in trying to pursue its own goals. and it betra - ., trying to pursue its own goals. and it betra - . ._ trying to pursue its own goals. and it betra - . , , it betrays in a huge way because it sends a very _ it betrays in a huge way because it sends a very important _ it betrays in a huge way because it sends a very important message l it betrays in a huge way because it| sends a very important message to his soldiers, president putin is saying, follow my orders, i will take care of you. will there be a lot of political capital for this person with president putin grace yes, of course, this comes at a moment when president putin is sort of in moment when president putin is sort 0�* moment when president putin is sort 0 ' ., moment when president putin is sort of in need of good news because since the start _ of in need of good news because since the start of— of in need of good news because since the start of the _ of in need of good news because since the start of the russian - of in need of good news because| since the start of the russian full scale invasion into ukraine, moscow hasn't been getting as many bits of positive news as it would like to.

the invasion definitely didn't go as mr putin wanted, so here's, he need some good news, he needs to show to his followers that he is still strong and capable of solving troubles and in the absence of those victorious dispatches from the front line, these prisoner swap he will portray as his big win and also as success of his security services for the fact that they managed to bring their people home and also of course those guys who will be portrayed as heroes, as someone who had succeeded in the west against them, regardless of the fact of whether it is true or false. ., ~ of the fact of whether it is true or false. . ,, i. of the fact of whether it is true or false. ., ~' ,, , of the fact of whether it is true or false. . ,, i. , . of the fact of whether it is true or false. . ,, , . false. thank you very much, act three. false. thank you very much, act three- we're — false. thank you very much, act three. we're just _ false. thank you very much, act three. we're just hearing - false. thank you very much, act three. we're just hearing from i false. thank you very much, act i three. we're just hearing from the german government as which is also cashback i thank the honourable memberfor cashback i thank the honourable member for giving cashback i thank the honourable memberfor giving way cashback i thank the honourable member for giving way three. we are hearing of the release of 15 people to quote the german source, unjustly imprisoned in russia. so lots more information coming in about what is happening, although we still don't have the full list of names. something more from the wall street

journal, though, talking