LIVE: President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Release of Americans Detained in Russia

Hello, everyone. You got everybody? Well, good afternoon. And this is a very good afternoon. A very good afternoon. Today, we're bringing home Paul, Evan, Alsu, Vladimir, three American citizens and one American green card holder. All four have been imprisoned unjustly in Russia. Paul, for nearly six years. Vladimir, since 2022. Evan, since March of 2023. And Alsu, since October of 2023. Russian authorities arrested them, convicted them in show trials, and sent them to long prison terms with absolutely no legitimate reason whatsoever. None. Paul, a former Marine, was in Russia for a wedding. Evan, a journalist in Russia, was in Russia, signed by the Wall Street Journal. Alsu, also a journalist, was in Russia to see family. All three falsely accused of being spies. And Vladimir, who is a Russian citizen by birth and holds an American green card, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and was a pallbearer of my friend John McCain's funeral with me. He spoke out against Putin's regime. For that, he was convicted of treason. And now, their brutal ordeal is over, and they're free. Moments ago, the families and I were able to speak to them on telephone from the Oval Office. They're out of Russia. Earlier today, they were flown to Turkey. And soon, they'll be wheels up on their way home to see their families. This is an incredible relief for all the family members gathered here. It's a relief to the friends and colleagues all across the country who've been praying for this day for a long time. The deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship. Friendship. Multiple countries helped get this done. They joined the difficult, complex negotiations at my request. And I personally thank them all again. I thank them personally, and I thank them again. All told, Russia has released 16 prisoners. Eight Russians who were being held in the West will be sent home as well. These 16 prisoners from Russia that Russia has released include four Americans, five Germans, seven Russian citizens who are political prisoners in their own country. One of those Russians runs a human rights organization, Memorial, which won a Nobel Prize in 2022. Putin threw him in prison for voicing opposition to the war in Ukraine. Four others worked with Alexei Navalny, a political opposition leader, who died in Russia prison this year. Now they can live safely abroad and continue their work of advocating for democracy if they so choose. This deal would not have 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. And they made bold and brave decisions, released prisoners being held in their countries who were justifiably being held, and provided logistical support to get the Americans home. So for anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do. They matter. And today is a powerful example of why it's vital to have friends in this world, friends you can trust, work with, and depend upon, especially on matters of great consequence and sensitivity like this. Our alliances make our people safer. And we begin to see that again today. Let me say this. It says a lot about the United States that we work relentlessly to free Americans who are unjustly held around the world. But it also says a lot about us that this deal includes the release of Russian political prisoners. They stood up for democracy and human rights. Their own leaders threw them in prison. The United States helped secure their release as well. That's who we are in the United States. We stand for freedom, for liberty, for justice, not only for our own people, but for others as well. And that's why all Americans can take pride in what we've achieved today. I want to thank everyone in my administration who helped make this happen. Our work did not start just on day one. It started before day one. During the transition, I instructed our national security team to dig into all the cases of hostages being wrongfully detained, which were inherently — well, we inherited them from the private — the prior administration. I wanted to make sure we hit the ground running, and we did. As of today, my administration has brought home over 70 Americans who were wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad — many since before I took office. In addition, I issued an executive order in 2022 authorizing penalties, like sanctions and travel bans, on those who hold Americans against their will. And my State Department has introduced new warnings for Americans about the risk of being wrongfully detained by a foreign government. Deals like this one come with tough calls, and there are never any guarantees. But there's nothing that matters more to me than protecting Americans at home and abroad. And so we'll continue to work for the release of all wrongfully detained Americans around the world. Let me end where I began, with Paul, Evan, and Elsa, Vladimir, and their families. They never gave up hope. You can't imagine what they've been through, all of you. As a matter of fact, this lady right here, I think, has been in the Oval Office. All kidding aside, you can't imagine their joy right now. They're home. Tomorrow's a big day, the 13th birthday of Mariam. You all know we have a tradition in the Biden family. We sing happy birthday. Happy birthday. You ready? All of you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Mariam. Happy birthday to you. Remember, Sue's got to be 30. God love you. She's all Sue's daughter. Now she gets to celebrate with her mom. That's what this is all about, families, able to be together again, like this should have been all along. So I want to thank you again to everyone who did their part. In just a few hours, we'll welcome home our fellow Americans. We're looking forward to that. God willing, we're going to be out at Andrews and get that done. So thank you, thank you, thank you. And this is a good day. What did you say when they answered the phone on the other side? I said, welcome almost home. How do you keep countries, these so-called abductor states, from simply taking more Americans in order to get more of their prisoners home? Perverse incentives, sir. By advising people not to go certain places. Tell them what's at risk, what's at stake. Mr. President, can you speak to the complexity of working with six countries to support the prisoners? Well, look, I'm not going to take the time now, but I'll do this later in the week. I particularly own a great sense of gratitude to the Chancellor. The demands they were making to me required me to get some significant concessions from Germany, which they originally concluded they could not do because of the personal question. But everybody stepped up. Poland stepped up, Slovenia stepped up, Turkey stepped up. And it matters to have relationships. It really does. These things matter. Did this improve relations with Russia? Is there any avenue for that? As my sister might say, your lips to God's ears, man. Would you be willing to speak with Putin now directly? I don't need to speak with Putin. I got home innocent people. All right. Look, you heard me say this before. I mean it. My dad had a simple proposition. Family is the beginning, the middle, and the end. Blood of my blood, bone of my bones. I can think of nothing more consequential. I mean that sincerely. And having lost family in a different way, and not knowing what's happening to circumstance when they're accidental, with help, it matters. Mr. President, what did Germany ask for in response to their cooperation? Nothing. President Trump has said repeatedly that he could have given anything. Why didn't he do it, Mr. President?