President Joe Biden dinged Trump for claiming he could have gotten a better prisoner swap. Why did he not do it when he was president? After all, many were in prisons under his presidency.
Egberto, I generally agree with your view of Trump vs Biden regarding the prisoner swap. But I would take it further. Six months ago Trump declared Russia could do 'whatever the hell it wants' to any NATO country that didn't pay its fair share to further militarize Europe. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/10/politics/trump-russia-nato/index.html
NATO leaders did not appreciate it. I believe this complex, high-profile, multi-national prisoner swap was NATO's way of giving Trump the finger. It helped get this deal over the finish line.
In this perverse way, I think the swapped prisoners have Donald Trump to thank for their freedom. The stars were aligned, US diplomats' professionalism certainly played a role, but there was also this: NATO saying to Trump's face, "F.U."
Egberto, I generally agree with your view of Trump vs Biden regarding the prisoner swap. But I would take it further. Six months ago Trump declared Russia could do 'whatever the hell it wants' to any NATO country that didn't pay its fair share to further militarize Europe. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/10/politics/trump-russia-nato/index.html
NATO leaders did not appreciate it. I believe this complex, high-profile, multi-national prisoner swap was NATO's way of giving Trump the finger. It helped get this deal over the finish line.
In this perverse way, I think the swapped prisoners have Donald Trump to thank for their freedom. The stars were aligned, US diplomats' professionalism certainly played a role, but there was also this: NATO saying to Trump's face, "F.U."