٠٠:٠٠:٤٢Mandatory credit: The White House
In a bizarre moment captured at the White House on Thursday, US President Joe Biden told the daughter of freed Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva 'no serious guys until you're 30' and wrapped her arms around her.
It came after Biden told the room to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Kurmasheva's daughter, who had turned 13 on Friday.
Russian-American Journalist Kurmasheva was released alongside Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal journalist, and Paul Whelan, an ex-US Marine, as part of an unprecedented prisoner swap deal with Russia on Thursday.
Kurmasheva was convicted of spreading false information about the Russian military and sentenced to six and a half years in prison in July 2022.
Gershkovich and Whelan were arrested in Russia in March 2023 and December 2018, respectively.
On June 19, Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in a strict regime penal colony on espionage charges. Whelan was found guilty in June 2020 on charges of espionage and was also sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The three were part of a historic prisoner swap between Moscow and five Western countries, announced on Thursday, with 26 detainees released and returned to their countries. In addition, American green card holder and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was also granted freedom and flown to Germany.
Sixteen prisoners held in Russia and ten people, including two minors, in the US, Norway, Germany, Poland and Slovenia were released from jails as a part of the exchange.
Oh, Joe! Biden leads 'macabre' Happy Birthday singalong to former prisoner's 13-year-old daughter, says 'no serious guys til 30'
In a bizarre moment captured at the White House on Thursday, US President Joe Biden told the daughter of freed Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva 'no serious guys until you're 30' and wrapped her arms around her.
It came after Biden told the room to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Kurmasheva's daughter, who had turned 13 on Friday.
Russian-American Journalist Kurmasheva was released alongside Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal journalist, and Paul Whelan, an ex-US Marine, as part of an unprecedented prisoner swap deal with Russia on Thursday.
Kurmasheva was convicted of spreading false information about the Russian military and sentenced to six and a half years in prison in July 2022.
Gershkovich and Whelan were arrested in Russia in March 2023 and December 2018, respectively.
On June 19, Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in a strict regime penal colony on espionage charges. Whelan was found guilty in June 2020 on charges of espionage and was also sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The three were part of a historic prisoner swap between Moscow and five Western countries, announced on Thursday, with 26 detainees released and returned to their countries. In addition, American green card holder and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was also granted freedom and flown to Germany.
Sixteen prisoners held in Russia and ten people, including two minors, in the US, Norway, Germany, Poland and Slovenia were released from jails as a part of the exchange.
Mandatory credit: The White House
In a bizarre moment captured at the White House on Thursday, US President Joe Biden told the daughter of freed Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva 'no serious guys until you're 30' and wrapped her arms around her.
It came after Biden told the room to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Kurmasheva's daughter, who had turned 13 on Friday.
Russian-American Journalist Kurmasheva was released alongside Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal journalist, and Paul Whelan, an ex-US Marine, as part of an unprecedented prisoner swap deal with Russia on Thursday.
Kurmasheva was convicted of spreading false information about the Russian military and sentenced to six and a half years in prison in July 2022.
Gershkovich and Whelan were arrested in Russia in March 2023 and December 2018, respectively.
On June 19, Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in a strict regime penal colony on espionage charges. Whelan was found guilty in June 2020 on charges of espionage and was also sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The three were part of a historic prisoner swap between Moscow and five Western countries, announced on Thursday, with 26 detainees released and returned to their countries. In addition, American green card holder and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was also granted freedom and flown to Germany.
Sixteen prisoners held in Russia and ten people, including two minors, in the US, Norway, Germany, Poland and Slovenia were released from jails as a part of the exchange.