Today is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world,
I cannot even begin to describe the happiness and relief that this news brings and I know all of you wil feel the same.”
We’re also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.”
He’s definitely not going to stop,
In fact, I just got a letter from him from prison last week where he told me that he’s learning Spanish,
And the reason he’s learning Spanish is he wants to go down to Latin America and get the Latin American countries to pass Magnitsky Acts so they can freeze the assets of the Putin regime and other Russian criminals,
It’s not only international cooperation, but it’s the extradition, it’s the legalities, the filings, etc., etc., etc. And then to get your hands actually on somebody and bring them into the United States or bring them to justice in another country? It’s incredibly complex,
I don’t want to undercut getting two U.S. citizens back that were wrongly held over there,
Cyber has been even more difficult because of the lack of unified laws across the world,
The amount that these actors are able to make goes back into an ecosystem where folks get paid and get paid off,
I would like to address those of you who are directly involved in military service. I would like to thank you for your loyalty to your oath, your duty and your Motherland, which has not forgotten you for even a minute,
All of you will be presented with state awards. We will see each other again, talk about your future,
I strongly welcome the news that Russia has released a number of prisoners today, and am particularly relieved that British nationals Vladimir Kara-Murza and Paul Whelan will soon be reunited with their families.
I want to congratulate you on your return to the motherland,
I believe all our enemies should stay there [out of Russia] and all those who are not our enemies should return
Paul Whelan is not in a Russian labor colony any longer, but he is not home. While Paul was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, he lost his home. He lost his job. We are unsure how someone overcomes these losses and rejoins society after being a hostage. We are grateful for everyone’s efforts to help Paul while he was away,
We are overwhelmed with relief and elated for Evan and his family, as well as for the others who were released,
The state's interest in executing the prison sentence of a convicted criminal was offset by the freedom, physical well-being and - in some cases - ultimately the lives of innocent people imprisoned in Russia and those wrongfully imprisoned for political reasons,
Our obligation to protect German nationals and our solidarity with the USA were important motivations,
Mr Kara-Murza is a dedicated opponent of Putin’s regime,