journalists who are activated. they know better than anyone that where they are going, and american leadership and special forces will not necessarily be able to protect them. that is what makes what they do that much more important and sacred. that is why it is codified in the first amendment. >> the boyfriend, the russian ballerina currently held captive in russia. he says please, everyone, keep it alive so we can hopefully look forward to welcoming her home in the future. >> is a big day. 3 american citizens released an. thanks for joining us on because they are out of russia. earlier today they were flown to turkey and soon they will be wheels up on their way home he could tell mike to see their families. this is an incredible relief for

those gathered here. a relief to friends and colleagues all across the country club and winning the state for a long time. >> what'd you say when they answer the phone? speak i said welcome almost home. >> sandra: president biden speaking whimsical from the white house after the u.s. and russia secured a historic prisoner swap deal in one of the largest and the cold war in in just moments we are next expecting an update from national security advisor jake sullivan and the details of the swap when he joins the white house briefing we are watching for that to begin right now. hello and welcome i am center in new york what a day. >> john: what a day indeed i am john roberts in washington this is "america reports" that white house briefing was moved up we expect in the next few minutes and a credibly powerful front page of "the wall street journal" website has the general reports its own air and cursive has been released after being held for 16 long months in russia. now have a brand-new photo from the u.s. government showing the three americans who were least.

it shows gershkovich, paul whelan, and alsu kurmasheva and all the massive deal that involved 24 prisoners in at least six countries. >> sandra: what a photo and what a relief to see them together holding the american flag, john. we will be speaking live with dow jones ceo and "wall street journal" publisher all marla tours about this incredible news when he joins us in moments. we have the story covered on all angles. congressman mike walz with their thoughts. adam boler has negotiated a high deals, steve harrison with his living underreporting inside russia but we begin with mark meredith live at the white house where we know that briefing will begin any moment now. what can you add to what we know so far about this swap, mark, hello? >> good morning, the white house will face a barrage of new questions and what went into this historic prisoner exchange and what can be expected in the future because of course there

are still americans being held by russia. the news of course was president biden talked about within the last hour of the u.s. and its allies were able to secure the release of 16 people who were in russian custody. of the 163 were american citizens won an american green card holder. two of those americans have gotten the most attention of course being "the wall street journal" reporter evan gershkovich as well as paul whalen the former u.s. marine. the biden administration has said it had been working for months and really since it came into office to try to get whelan out and then spent 19 was convicted last month at the time the white house said they would try to move heaven and earth to get today to happen. now what was so interesting about the developments is this is not a u.s. and russia discussion instead it had to involve so many u.s. allies including germany. the germans even having to release a russian assassin in order to make sure they could get this deal done. president biden spoke about what

kind of coordination it took with the u.s. allies and why he believes it is so important going forward. here is what the president had to say moments ago. >> the deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship. friendship. multiple countries help to this done. they joined a difficult, complex negotiation at my request. i personally thank them all again. i thank them personally and i will thank them again. >> while the president was also able to take a few questions as he was leaving he said it was a cause for celebration, he pointed to some of the families who are now being released in the room with him as well. it is likely the national security advisor will be facing a lot of questions about who was included and who was not and why and why not. those are questions that will linger. in fact we are hearing from members of congress who say they still believe moore should be done to release people like mark vogel the schoolteacher in russia who has been detained and trying to get him released now. he was not part of this prisoner exchange today however the

white house going great lengths to say this is a big relief for the families. they know this is a very public it at situation. for so many nations involved and of course not just a win for the u.s. there is an exchange that had to take place and we are looking to see how more reaction continues to come out of capitol hill and people are okay with this deal reached. >> sandra: mark meredith live at the white house let's bring in dow jones ceo and "wall street journal" publisher almar latour, what a huge day. you have been in the inner workings for this for many, many months now. i finally see a smile on your face. what is the reaction particularly in "the wall street journal" newsroom right now? >> sandra: yes, it is amazing to see that headline from "the wall street journal." because we did not know when that finally would be coming. today was the day. this is obviously a historic day. people are elated to. there's a lot of bottled up emotions throughout the company throughout "the wall street journal" newsroom. everyone has worked so hard towards this putting a spotlight

on press freedom, making sure we were talking to policymakers, decision-makers to advance the cause of press freedom around the world in places it is very difficult. so this is a joyous, historic day. not only in history of "the wall street journal" for evan and his family but also more broadly for us. >> sandra: it is john roberts in washington last time we spoke was july 19th, the day evan was sentenced to 16 years in prison and in a court proceeding that appeared to be rushed, which led us to speculate may be a deal was imminent. i remember sandor ask you something. i don't remember exactly what it was, but you were playing your cards very close to your best at that point. did you have an inkling this was in the works and was imminent? >> well, listen, i will leave it to the u.s. administration to explain the intricacies of how a

deal like this has come together. suffice to say we were working up to what we hoped would be a very, very positive outcome. the day prior we had a particularly faithful meeting wh the family and also visited the. at that time it was certainly a lot of hope pent up. feels like these, they are not done until they are done. only until the day we can say the deal is done. >> sandra: such an important point. what president spoke from the white house moments ago as we learned the details of the s.w.a.t. he talked about the importance of the assistance from our allies in getting this done, listen. >> this deal would not of been made possible without our allies. germany, poland, slovenia, norway, and turkey they all

stepped up and they stood with us. they stood with us. they made a bold and brave decisions. released prisoners being held in their countries or just a finally being held. providing logistical support to get the americans home. so for anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do. they matter. today is a powerful example of why it is vital to have friends in this world. >> sandra: an important point we did not do this alone and we did not get this done alone, omar. >> absolutely. for us in the background, we knew there was an international dimension to this. other countries would be involved in making this happen. that there were many others narratives happening for other individuals. for us, as you saw in our statement thinking outside of the u.s. germany in particular. they are help, we believe was instrumental in getting evan's

deal done as well as the broader arrangement. >> john: almar there was something else the president said that struck me as a journalist who has worked around the world. when he was asked what he would say to these estates that take americans and other people from other nationalities hostage he said don't go. and, i mean, the tenets of journalism are you go to difficult places where you potentially put your lives in danger because you need to report what is going on around the world. for the president to simply say don't go as opposed to saying to vladimir putin don't take any more of our people hostage because there will be serious consequent as if you do strikes me as not being something that really supports the idea of press freedom around the world. >> today we are just grateful for evan's return but i have to say that in spite of this being a joyful day that we got through this ordeal of 16 months only

because vladimir putin's autocratic regime chose to arbitrarily detain our journalists and many, many others around the world. it is despicable. we condemn it, it should not happen and that condemnation should be globally stronger than ever before. so you are absolutely right. we will be in places where we can be and we should be reporting from all of the world's hot spots information and reliable information is more important than ever before. so we are not simply going to not to go to places, but obviously we have to be mindful and careful where we go. if we just give up and say we will no longer come, then we will lose something. but that will be days to come to make decisions on how we will report and that is up to our editor and chief emma tucker who has been a major part of this.

>> sandra: she has indeed and leading the charge in the newsroom to celebrate this. we actually just received a brand-new video of "the wall street journal" newsroom, almar, when the celebration erupts on the learning of this swap end of the return of evan. i believe emma is addressing the reporters in the room. what a moment this is, almar. i know you are incredibly close and have been close to evan's family. i know so many of the details behind the scenes are private, but can you share with us anything you have heard from them either upon his release were leading up to it about how they are feeling and sort of their response? or even evan himself? >> sandra: on the last week it has been very emotional for them, this moment seems to draw closer but you never know what will happen. this morning on their way to the white house, we dropped them o off. there was a lot of humor and a

lot of tender moments when we all realized the family in particular what this meant that this ordeal had come to an end. so it is one of the most touching moments that i personally have ever experienced but also i know that for a family who has been heroic throughout all of this, this was a day there will never forget of course. >> john: you and sandra mentioned emma tucker commander in chief and we saw her in the newsroom spreading the good news and here's what she said in an email to the staff "it is a joyous day for evan's family, friends, and colleagues were worried about him and supported him the past 16 months. he was our inspiration, the galvanizing force. we watched him deal with his absurd predicament with strength, composure, humor, and a heart sign from beyond the walls of the courtroom glass cage. we learned about his life and history and understood why he is beloved by so many. you know, we talked to people

held hostage in the past and the way the courage with which evan dealt with his unjust imprisonment really was something i think for the world to see. you know, we would see him in the court in that glass cage, he often had a bit of a smirk on his face knowing it was a kangaroo court proceeding, that's what he was going through. i don't know if you had a chance to speak with him directly in the time he was incarcerated or with his family but how did he keep up his spirits given what he was going through at the present? >> yes, access to direct access to everyone near him possible through his lawyers and directly through diplomacy from time to time. i think he got through this because he has a very solid foundation, he is very confident in who he is and what his role

is and was in russia. he understood what was happening to him, and he had seen this movie play out. many times before to friends of his, people that he covered. he knew his predicament. he also has a love for the russian people and for russian culture. i learned that from his parents and his friends and a passion about explaining what is happening there. i think all of those things that probably helped him in his resilience. this is a young man who has friends all over the world. i was just recently in that meeting with the moscow times. people from his past near and far still hold him so dear. i am sure he could feel that global support and support from his newsroom colleagues, from the wider media world, support from his family and also support ultimately from the authorities

in the u.s. and beyond. i think all of that helped. here is the good things, he will get to explain this himself. we will no longer need other people to explain his viewpoint or advocate for him or interpret the importance. he will get to speak for himself and that is really the true victory today. >> sandra: almar i know i think it is important today and we are winning the white house press briefing at the bottom of the screen we expect it will happen any moment now and when it does we will go to it live. almar we remind our listeners and viewers of the peace of and broke before his detainment. we can put the headline in "the wall street journal" on the screen, rush's economy is starting to come undone" it r read. budget is a squeeze, oligarch there will be no money next year. the date on that march 28th, 2023, 10:45 a.m. eastern time. you look back and you see what is happening today and what it took to get to this moment.

all of these months of detainment and what is your message to journalists who saw that as i say that i will hold my thought there, let's get straight to the white house white house, karine jean-pierre is at the microphone. >> paul, evan, alsu and vladimir is the best day of their lives. as we celebrate the return of these brave americans we remember all of 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. with that i will turn it over to our national security advisor. >> thank you and good afternoon, everyone. today as you have seen and heard from the president and from karine we have pleaded one of

the largest most complex exchanges in history. and three american citizens and one american green card holder are finally coming home. i have the honor and pleasure of joining the president this morning in the oval office as he shared the wonderful news with families and then together they spoke with paul, evan, alsu kurmasheva and vladimir on the tarmac where the exchange happened. to say everyone in the room was overjoyed, even at a loss for words, is an understatement. since taking office, president biden and vice president harris has made clear they will not stop working until every american wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world is reunited with their family. as an administration we are proud to celebrate the return home of over 70 such americans. from places around the world like afghanistan, burma, gaza, haiti, iran, russia, venezuela, lawanda, and elsewhere. today's exchanges a feat of

diplomacy that honestly could only be achieved by a leader like joe biden. his direction, the professionals in our foreign policy and intelligence community work tirelessly and relentlessly to secure the release of 16 individuals who were detained in russia. to three american citizens, one american green card holder, five german citizens, and seven russian political prisoners in exchange for eight individuals held in a combination of the united states, germany, norway, slovenia, and poland. the president was, himself, personally engaged in the diplomacy that brought this about. including multiple conversations with chancellor scholz, with the other leaders of the countries who provided some of the russians as part of the exchange, and most recently as has now been reported: the prime minister of slovenia early in the afternoon of sunday, july 21st, to coordinate the final arrangements to make the final piece of the steel fall into place.

there is no more singular or concrete demonstration that the alliance is the president has reinvigorated around the world matter to americans, to the individual safety of americans and to the collective security of americans. we are deeply grateful to our allies who supported us in these complex negotiations to achieve this outcome. while i am standing at this podium, the president is reaching out to give personal thanks to the leaders of germany, poland, slovenia, norway, and turkey. and honestly, guys, i can just say, this was vintage joe biden. rallying american allies to save american citizens and russian freedom fighters, pulling his whole team together to drag us across the finish line. his goal has always been to put the families first. the families enduring and unimaginable ordeal. we have stayed in regular and routine touch with them. i spent a lot of time with

families evan and paul and alsu in most of the time you imagine those are tough conversations but not today. excuse me. today was a very good day. and we are going to build on it drawing inspiration and continued courage from it for all of those held hostage or wrongfully detained around the world. and that includes mark vogel who we are actively working to get his release from russia as well and there are others being held in syria, afghanistan, other countries around the world who we are working to get released. and just on a personal i want to say this is the culmination of a monumental level of effort. and a level of skill by my teammates across the national security enterprise. my colleagues at the msc, my colleagues at central intelligence agency, my colleagues at the state department, these are dedicated, talented professionals who are not in the headlines, who don't get to stand at a podium like this one.

it was at the president's direction that they build and pulled off the most intricate expensive deal of its kind. they know who they are. i salute them and every american should be proud to have those kind of people standing up on their behalf and on behalf of american security. while this is unfolding we have been closely monitoring the events in the middle east as well. since october 7th, we have worked to deter and prevent escalation into a writer regional war. that risk has always been there. that risk is there now. and we are determined to engage in the deterrence, defense, and de-escalation to try to ensure that we do not have a wider regional conflict or escalation that goes unchecked periods so i am happy to get more into that in response to your questions. with that i will turn it over to you. >> thank you. whose idea was it to try to go big and bring everyone home at once instead of going for a simpler 1 for 1 type deal?

and why? >> that is a great question. i don't feel entirely comfortable answering because this was an organic process involving a lot of people across our government. but what i will say is this. the president set us down on a regular basis over the course of the detentions of paul, evan, and alsu. and really pushed us to think about what configuration would actually work to make this happen. and it was through an iterative process of back and forth with the various of the allies i mentioned. with engagements come with our russian counterparts where we were making proposals, getting responses, but this all came together. so i would say if you had not had joe biden sitting in the oval office i don't think this would've happened. but, as i said in my remarks, there were a lot of other people who played a central role in building out the pieces of this. and executing on that, the execution phase of this to get

this level of coordination together to have those plans stomach planes all land on the tarmac at the same time for multiple different countries wih individuals coming from russia and going back to russia very extraordinary. i think the team effort can be a cliche but i think in this case it is a warranted description of what happened. >> was alexi supposed to be part of this deal before he died in prison? >> we had been working with our partners on a deal that would've included alexi move only. unfortunately he died. in fact, on the very day he died i saw evan's parents and i told them the president is determined to get this done and we will work day and night to get to this day. so that were continued over the course of the past or go we know

mike months and culminated today. >> you mentioned but can you describe in a little more color on that conversation before the president came out? did all four americans get to speak? that each family member get to speak to loved ones? of the president tear up? did you tear up? >> i save my tearing up for this post stomach podium. i would like to strike that from the record if that is permitted, probably not. so the president invited the family members in at the moment that we received the word from the tarmac and had concurred that the exchange was complete and he was able to give them the news directly that the exchange was in fact complete. then paul, evan, and alsu were in one place. vladimir was in another place so he conducted two calls from the oval office. one with the three american citizens on the phone, and he welcomed their freedom, said on

behalf of the american people he was so proud to have them out, and then very quickly turned the phone over to their family members. each family got the opportunity to engage by phone with their loved one who was out. he conducted a second call with vladimir and vladimir's wife. one of their daughters and their son where they are to be to speak with him. end of the president and he also got to reminisce on the fact they were both pallbearers together at john mccain's funeral. and so it was a kind of extraordinary, personal exchange in the oval office. the family members were both overwhelmed, of course, by the events of the day and standing there in the presence of the u.s. president at the resolute desk. so it was quite a moment. >> can you talk about how the administration tries to make

sure this does not incentivize more innocent americans besides inviting people not to go abroad in certain places especially because you are looking at this inherent imbalance between releasing or between the release of an america in exchange for rightfully convicted criminals and murderers? >> it's a fair question that we grapple with every time we look at the hard decisions involved in one of these exchanges. it is difficult to send back a convicted criminal to secure the release of an innocent american. and yet, sometimes the choices between doing that and consigning that person to live out their days in prison and a hostile foreign country or in the hands of a hostile power. so from our perspective we have assessed and analyzed that risk. we have judged the benefit of reuniting americans, of bringing people home, and also of

vindicating the idea that the american president and the american government are going to do what it takes to protect and secure the release of innocent americans that that benefit outweighs the risk and that is how we have proceeded. i would point out in addition to that in periods of time the u.s. government did not intend to do prisoner exchanges americans were unjustly detained and held hostage overseas. in periods we did, americans were unjustly detained and held hostage overseas. i think there are real questions and roger carstens hostage negotiation rats at the state department has actually pointed out that in this analysis it is not quite as clear cut that evidence actually demonstrates the kind of result your question speaks to. a lot more people get taken because we do these exchanges. but it is something we have to pay attention to and it is something that makes these decisions by the president not simple decisions.

hard decisions. and yet, as he did today, he was prepared to make them. >> can you explain a bit more wanted it become clear that president cobb was ideal especially with differently from brittney griner question mike >> it's not l like a light bulb moment, it has to be tested and alternatives have to be suggested. proposals get put on the table and rejected and new proposals are rejected so it's less of a moment of now we know and more of something the you negotiate through the experience over the course of this we did reach the conclusion that krasikov was a key. >> can you talk us through any involvement with the vice president? was she also speaking directly

to other leaders and allies? >> so, as i said in my opening comments, both president biden and vice president harris has made the return of unjustly detained americans hostage american hostages and absolute priority. in this particular case, vice president harris actually had an opportunity to engage with chancellor scholz earlier this year at an opportune and timely moment at the munich security conference where she talked about this issue with him. that followed on a conversation the president had just a short time before that. it was in the run of high-level engagements and a back-and-forth the president and chancellor were having that vice president harris was actually able to sit face-to-face with chancellor scholz and talk through the elements of this. and i have set in the oval office more times than i can count over the course of the past years. providing briefings and updates on this and getting peppered with questions by both the president and vice president.

thinking through the strategy, it is relating the approach iterating the approach which she was a participant in very much part of the core team to make this happen. >> with the interactions with president scholz, it's been indicated maybe you can help us understand chancellor scholz had to make a big sacrifice giving up a russian criminal, krasikov, what specifically did the german chancellor say to president biden about his willingness to do this? >> i will leave that to chancellor scholz because i think for important conversations leaders should speak for themselves. >> but he said i will do this for you and can you at least detailed that? speak i can confirm he did say that but i thought you were asking sort of to elaborate in greater detail which i am afraid i don't feel comfortable doing because he can speak to his with the president. president biden made this point when he spoke to the press a

short time ago that relationship between the president and the chancellor relationship of respect, of genuine friendship, had the character of being able to work through the sensitive issue in a way that was not antiseptic or professional. it was two guys actually trying to figure out a solution. that was the nature of all of the conversations and ultimately the chancellor was able to say to the president let's do this. >> to be clear my second question is this is clearly a day of celebration but there's already criticism including from the republican vice presidential nominee, j.d. vance, moments ago said "i think what this demonstrates i think really what this shows is a lot of bad guys across the world are worried donald trump is coming back into office. your response to those comments? >> i don't follow. >> thank you. can you talk about what if any engagement u.s. officials had with vladimir putin as part of this question mike >> no engagement directly to let me put in. there was extensive engagement

with russian officials over the course of this. i will not get into the details because those channels are sensitive and need to be protected for exactly this reason. because having those sensitive channels enables us to produce results. >> last week in the oval office president biden said he remains committed to bringing americans home. during his final six months in office. how important was it for him to get this deal before leaving office? >> honestly, i don't think he was thinking about it like i have to get it before i leave office. he was thinking about it from the family's perspective which is every day is a lost day periods so i want to do this as rapidly as humanly possible. i want to push the pace on it because the longer these americans are held abroad, the greater the risk and the greater the pain. so, for him, it was really important to do the deal, but less tied to his time in office and more tied to the power and responsibility he had and wanted to exercise to get this done as

fast as he possibly can. >> i just want to follow-up on this interaction. does this in any way lay any groundwork for discussions about the war in ukraine? with the ukrainians like to sort of say look, we have cooperated on this. is there any path this creates? any sort of goodwill in terms of creating more discussions? >> we do not see a link between the hostage negotiation or the detained persons negotiations and any potential diplomacy over the war in ukraine. we see them as operating on separate tracks. one is really about the practical issue of producing this exchange. the other is a much more complex question where the ukrainians will be in the lead in the united states will consult closely with all of our allies to support them when they are prepared to step forward and engage in that kind of diplomacy.

>> so, we can't have you here and not ask about what is unfolding in the middle east and with iran and with this killing. can you give us your assessment of how high the temperature really is and how great the risks are at now an all-out war? >> taking a step back, we have been laser focused on trying to prevent that since october 7th. sarah been moments that have required intensive effort to keep a lid on things. at the risk always been there, and the risk remains today. and we believe we do have to be engaging in intensive efforts now through deterrence, through de-escalation, through diplomacy to prevent a wider war. we will continue to do that. >> thank you. back in may fo former president from made the comment that russian demott russia would

release evan gershkovich for him after the upcoming election "but not for anyone else" did that comment complicate negotiations at all and did you have a response to trump's, now? >> look, i am just happy these guys are out at home and i won't wade into the comments of the former president. >> about jimmy will guess are you working on him? >> he noted that the president spoke to the leader of sylvania around the time he was making his decision of the future. how much was the think he had to go through on the future part of this process leading up to his negotiations was its owning that weighed on him for days? >> look, to be honest with you, the way in which this unfolded splayed out over the course of weeks, even months to put all of the pieces in place. so the timing and the cadence of

the different elements coming together was a feature of the diplomacy end of the decision-making of each of the countries involved. it was not about american politics come the american political counter, counter, those on other issues and it did happen to line up on that sunday in that way but not but a conscious decision to make it so rather because that is when the pieces were falling into place. and that is the moment the president had to drop the final piece in. it was a couple of hours before the announcement. >> when do you think we will see them on american soil? >> i think you can expect to see evan, paul, and alsu earlier tonight on american soil. and as the president mentioned in his remarks earlier they will be landing in andrews air force base. the president and the vice president will be the there

to greet them. they will be traveling to germany and his family will be traveling to join him, vladimir, but as vladimir and the president discussed today we expect him back here in the united states soon for him to see other people in the u.s. government and the president. >> thank you. switching gears for a moment. i want to ask you about the plea deal about the 9/11 suspects reached by the military courts at guantanamo perry republicans are condemning this as showing weakness and calling it a sweetheart deal because it avoids a trial and the death penalty. i was wondering if the initiation has a response. >> as we said last night the white house received word that the convening authority had entered these pretrial agreements that had been negotiated by military prosecutors with ks m and some of the other 9/11 defendants. and we had no role in that process. the president had no role, the

vice president had no role, i had no role, the white house had no role and we were informed yesterday the same day that they went out publicly that this pretrial agreement had been accepted by the convening authority. with the president did upon learning of that was direct his team to consult as appropriate with officials and lawyers at the department of defense on this matter. those consultations are ongoing and how i have nothing more to add at this time. >> and one more thing. on the israel-hamas negotiations, now that the lead hamas negotiator is dead, who is there to negotiate with? why in your estimation would hamas continue toward negotiating an expired deal when the lead negotiator was killed by the people they are negotiating with? >> it is too soon to tell what the impact of his death will

have on the negotiations. so i am not going to speculate on that. especially in light of the broader dynamics and set of events unfolding in the region right now. what i will say is this. the cease-fire and hostage deal is the pathway to ending this war. it is the pathway to getting all of the hostages home, including the american citizen hostages who are relentlessly focused on getting home and we remain determined to get it done. yes. >> did the president have a call today with prime minister netanyahu? or is he having one? >> i believe the israeli government has put out that they are having a call perry we have not announced that yet but in fact the president is intending to speak with prime minister netanyahu later today. they have not spoken yet. >> is the president going to express any displeasure about not having a heads up about the attack on the hamas leader or these other big things that have happened in the last few days? of israel taking countermeasures?

>> i will not preview the president's message before he has a chance to speak to the prime minister and if i had to predict i would probably be tight-lipped about the readout afterwards. >> i want to wonder if you can make clear for us when was the actual moment you really knew this deal was going to be done and that it was sealed or is that not really until today when you actually saw them release people on the tarmac? >> we steadily gain the confidence following the president's call on the 21st of july. but that was always tempered by the reality this is a fragile deal. a complex deal that could fall apart in a moment for multiple different directions. so we held our breath and crossed our fingers until just a couple of hours ago. yes. >> i wanted to ask about arms control it seems russia has been backsliding when it comes to these deals. what is the update with that? is there any progress with getting them to rejoin on these treaties? >> no.

the short answer is there is no progress. we have tried to engage, i have publicly stated, and my colleagues have also laid out our view that there is an armed control agenda in the interests of the security of the united states come our allies, and frankly global stability. we have not seen reciprocity on the russian side to engage in those discussions at this time. so we are obviously working very closely with nato, with our other allies and partners to ensure that our security is going to be strong, resilient, and credible no matter what comes next but we do remain available to engage in arms control as we did with the soviet union as the height of the cold war. last question. >> can you just confirm no money was exchanged, no sanctions were loosened to facilitate this deal? >> yes i can confirm that. >> can you also speak to wife the president chose not to use this moment and part of the

cameras to deliver a warning to boudin he said he did not need to speak to putin but he conveyed a price that they will have to pay for abducting americans for political purposes? >> we have made clear through every conceivable channel in the president has made clear publicly on repeated occasions of the last two years about the cost and consequences of aggression standing against united states interests. end of taking actions that we believe are unlawful and unjust. we will continue to do that as we go forward. for the president today, this was a moment to thank our allies. it was a moment to celebrate the families and most important it was a way to lift up the human achievement of getting both americans citizens of friendly countries and russian political prisoners out. as the president said he does not need to talk to pollutant for putin to understand where the president stands. thank you. >> what about jimmy wilkins he

has been there ages? >> thank you. >> eight years! >> as i mentioned at the top this is a incredibly important day in a momentous day and an emotional day for the families, obviously, for the incurable team i get to work with everyday. national security team and across the administration and for this president. so it is a good day. is a really, really good day. we should be really proud of what this administration has been able to do. now these, you know, these folks who were unjustly held now get to go home to their families and see their families. restart their lives. >> follow-up on the 9/11 plea deal, does the president still plan to close guantanamo bay

prison and is there a realistic way to do that in the next six months? >> that is still something the president wants to do and get done. as far as a timeline, i don't have anything for you here. obviously this is something he wanted it to be done under his administration. i just don't have anything else to read out or preview at this time, but it is something he is determined to get done. >> does he have a message to some of the 9/11 families who wanted to see this come to a fuller process? >> this is basically what jake said. it is something we had no involvement in and he did not have any involvement in. the white house played no role in this process. the president directed his team to consult as appropriate with officials and lawyers in the department of defense, obvi obviously. we have said this before. our hearts go out to the

families who lost loved ones on that day. and you know, the president on 9/11 has honored them every year in the families who lost their loved ones on that terrible day. we remain committed. this administration remain committed to make sure that the military process is fair and delivers justice to the victims, survivors, families and those accused of crimes. so that is certainly the president's continued commitment here. >> donald trump yesterday attacked kamala harris' identity saying he didn't know she was black and he reacted to that yesterday but i'm wondering if the president is aware of those comments. >> the president is aware. i think he just, like myself and what i stated here, and what the vice president stated as well, you know i will just reiterate what i said it was repulsive, disrespectful, and insulting. and we believe, obviously we are not the campaign here, but we

can speak more broadly generally that the american people deserve better. they deserve better. real leaders do not tear people down. they don't question someone's identity. it is more of the same. more of the lack of respect and, you know, it is -- it could not be more inappropriate. he also believes the american people deserve better. he deserves better. you have a president who has spent the last four years, and more, talking about unity. talking about respecting each other. talking about bringing people together. that's what this president believes. and you see that, whether it's any policy he talks about. the economy, health care, making sure we respect each other. dignity. that is what the president is about. i will leave it there. >> thank you.

just hoping for a response to the 9 9/11 plea deal that protes the death penalty of the derek city firefighters union put out a statement saying we are disgusted and disappointed these three terrorists were given a plea deal and allowed to escape the ultimate justice while each month three more heroes from the fdny are dying from trade center illnesses. is the admin's ration have a message for them question might >> our hearts go out. not much more that i can add to what you heard from the national security advisor and how i just answer the question to one of your colleagues. i will reiterate, obviously our hearts go out. to the families who lost a loved one. we did not have a role in this. this is not some then we were involved in. so we are determined to make sure they get justice, these families get justice. i just don't have anything else to add to what the national security advisory stated from her moments ago. >> on the vice president's presence tonight is she going to

be around or any of the evening when we expect the detainees to come back to the u.s.? is she going to be part of this question might >> again, jake sullivan national security advisor just literally confirmed she would be part of this when they land tonight at gaba. and so the president and the vice president will be there to greet them. you just heard this from jake sullivan. >> i wanted to talk to jake but did not have a chance it sounded like he almost took a swipe of the vice president when he said if joe biden wasn't in the oval office i don't think this would've happened. was that a swipe at her relative inexperience? >> i see what you are saying. they are partners in this. joe biden and the vice president are partners in this. eat you heard him say the vice president played a critical role, a critical role in this diplomacy.

a number of key moments. she met with the chancellor of germany in munich to help pave the way. she also met with the prime minister of sylvania to help bring them into the negotiations. they were partners in this. and then you will see her tonight join the president to welcome back those americans who were unjustly imprisoned in russia. and that is going to be an important moment, a critical moment. but they worked together on this. i think what jake, not to say what he was saying, but he was very clear. this is a president who has had a long history in government. more than 50 years as a senator, as a vice president. and now, as president. it is because of his understanding of the world and the relationships with these leaders that he has had he has been able to build back up our partnership with allies, right? and also partners. but let's give a clear here.

the vice president has been a partner in this. i just listed out how critical of a role she played in key moments. very, very recently. so they are partners and i think that is what we want to make sure is very clear to all of you. >> was there ever any consideration given to asking the vice president to come back sooner so she could be part of the announcement today? >> no, i'm sorry you should finish your question. >> i was just going to ask, you know, just for the atmospheric sort of the visual impact of having her there with the family? >> just to reiterate she played a key role here. a critical role during some key moments as i just listed out. but i will remind you she was at a funeral in houston this morning. she was speaking at a funeral. with the late congresswoman there in texas. and that also as you know, when you are president and even vice president you play multiple

roles here. so she will be coming back today. if she is not back already and she will be joining the president and the families as they get to welcome their loved one back after being unjustly imprisoned in russia. >> one more question. about the 9/11 plea deal. can you say whether you think the death penalty would have been an appropriate end? or is it a matter of principle for you, for the people at the white house? or president biden in particular question my >> as you know the president has been very clear about the death penalty. i don't have anything else to add. this is something we learned about yesterday. this is something that the convening authority for military commissions has made an independent decision. they made a an independent decision. we were not involved. i don't want to get into specifics on this because we are not involved at all in this

process. so i will just be careful here and leave it there. >> did the president or anyone in the administration speak to the family today? >> that is a good question i don't have anything to read out about the particular conversation with the family of marco vogel. as you know our team here has been in regular touch of many of the families who have loved ones who have been detained. i don't have anything at this time to read out with mark vogel specifically, but we are continued to be committed. you heard jake's speech to this at the top when he was delivering his remarks to getting americans home with each of these exchanges, it is our goal to secure release of as many americans as we can, that is the goal every time we get into these negotiations. we are always very careful. we do not do these in public obviously in every step in this process starting all the way back when we saw the release of

paul whalen and brittney griner. we also sought to release mark vogel as well as you saw from jake sullivan. we are actively continuing to do so and are engaged in active instruction of how to get that and how to get a pass to get him home. i don't have anything to read out on a recent conversation with their family. speak of the federal reserve yesterday signaled since the pandemic, does the white house believe is a good idea question asked the guy will not comment comment on any potential decisions they are independent we respect that so i won't on that. >> to circle back, jake did make the point that he believed this would not have happened if the president was not the one in the oval negotiating. >> sandra: okay, john we have been watching a very emotional reaction from jake sullivan as he detailed the swap calling it the most complicated in history. he did say to expect those who

were freed to arrive in the u.s. tonight there they were as they were holding the american flag and we will look forward to welcoming them back on american soil this evening. >> john: from the white house to foggy bottom and the state department where this is the topic du jour let's listen in. >> helping americans return home over the past 3.5 years. we are grateful for the support of our allies and partners who helped put a deal together in particular. germany, poland, norway, and sylvania and we also appreciate turkey for providing logistical support for the exchange. this is something you've heard me say before, it is an issue that is so important and personal to secretary blinken. in the first weeks in this department when he was sworn in as secretary of state, he met with the families of all americans wrongfully detained at

that time in a video call and continues to meet with families and returnees on a regular basis. has directly engaged his counterparts on individual cases and we are also so grateful for the countless individuals across this department and across the interagency who worked tirelessly to secure this outcome and provide support on this endeavor over the years. i am talking specifically about our staff at embassy moscow, our staff and consular affairs, roger carstens and the envoy for hostage affairs office, our team in the europe regional bureau, and all of the other regional bureaus and embassies who have made days like this possible. today we celebrate that paul, evan, alsu, vladimir, and others are free and recommit our efforts to secure the release of americans that remain wrongfully detained or held hostage. with that -- and if you want to

kick us off? >> thank you so much. could you detail a little bit more of his involvement in this deal and what conversations he has had and where did this idea of widening the deal to include more people to be released and get germany involved come from? we hear was that blinking's idea or where did come from? >> i will not get into the specifics of the negotiating process but don't my fiance and saying today's is feat of diplomacy that could've only been achieved with leaders like president biden, like secretary blinken, like national security advisor jake sullivan, that understand the vital importance of diplomacy and understand the vital importance that our alliances and partnerships can play in situations like this. it's the largest multicountry swap of its kind resulting in the release of 16 individuals currently detained in russia that included as i said three

american citizens, one u.s. lawful permanent resident, five u.s. german citizens and seven russian political prisoners. this is something that required extensive engagement with partner countries and it started at the very top with president biden and of course secretary blinken and national security advisor sullivan and their respective teams as well. so, this is something that we are very happy to see days like this when our tireless efforts come together and we are able to see american citizens reunited home. >> i know jake sullivan has said you are sort of regarding this as separate issues but in your mind is this deal signal at all that putin might be willing to talk peace with ukraine? >> that is for president putin to speak to. it is not something we would ascertain as the national security advisor said these are

separate and totally unique issues. of course we welcome this news and americans will be reunited with their loved ones. ukraine continues to be under attack and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the ukraine continues to be grossed on by the russian federation. and in that regard the united states will continue to support our partners in the ukraine. you saw us do so as recently the beginning of this week with the announcement of another presidential drawdown authority. go-ahead. >> thanks. i think i can say on behalf of many of our colleagues this is a great day. for the state department periods and across the administration. >> for the united states. >> congratulations. i wanted to ask you about the americans that are still in russia or in china and afghanistan and other countries around the world.

you have as a jacob mentioned the american teacher mark vogel in russia and i believe jake said they will work on getting him out as well. you have musician michael chavis leak, you have russian-american dual citizens such as caroline and others in russia and you have i can only name a handful n china, some advocacy human rights groups believe there are anywhere between 11 cases to as many as 200 americans or dual americans held in china on. of course there is afghanistan you have ryan corbett, mack lu clue to how bb, three americans held in afghanistan, what is the message of the american still out there and does today y insights to be applied in trying to get more americans home? >> our message is pretty simple and it is wild today is a good

day, that the work does not s stop. to the american citizens who continue to be wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world, let me be very clear that this government, this administration is not going to stop working. we will continue to work tirelessly around the clock to do everything we can to make sure they, like paul, like evan, like alsu, like vladimir will have a day they can be reunited with their loved ones as well. of course, in the case of mark vogel we have spoken on this before we have called for marc's humanitarian release and we will continue to engage and work through our team in moscow and continue to have conversations. of course, look, they are continued to be american citizens detained in legal systems around the world. not of course just in russia. this is a responsibility w