Biden heaps praise on Slovenia PM for aiding release of Americans in major US-Russia prisoner swap

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden heaped praise on Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob during an Oval Office meeting for his key role in a recent seven-nation prisoner swap. That deal freed Americans Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan from Russian prison. The deal completed in August was the largest U.S.-Russian prisoner swap in post-Soviet history. It involved 24 people, many months of negotiations and concessions from other European countries — including Slovenia — that released Russians in their custody as part of the exchange. Slovenia agreed to the release of two Russian spies who had been living for years in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. Biden at the start of his Tuesday Oval Office meeting said Golob’s diplomacy made the prisoner exchange possible.