Analyst: prisoner exchange won't fix issues between Russia and U.S.

The goodwill gesture demonstrated by a historic prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries is clearly insufficient to resolve their long-standing rifts, despite seemingly offering room for imagination, a Chinese analyst said.

The exchange, in which Berlin played a key role, was the biggest since the end of the Cold War, with ten people returned to Russia, 13 to Germany and three to the United States.

It must be noted that prisoner swaps between the U.S. and Russia are not a new phenomenon, Diao Daming, a professor of U.S. studies at Renmin University of China's School of International Studies, told China Media Group. Even in April 2022, just two months after the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, a small-scale prisoner trade between Russia and the U.S. was realized, he noted.

"However, it is evident that these exchanges did not lead to any significant positive changes in their relations," Diao added.

At a Moscow airport on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin greeted the Russian returnees, including businessman Vladislav Klyushin, with a hero's welcome.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate you all on your return to the Motherland. Now I would like to address those of you who have a direct connection to military service. I want to thank you for your loyalty to your oath and your duty to your Motherland, which has never forgotten you for a moment," Putin said.

"All of you will be presented with state awards. I will see you again; we will talk about your future."

Among those U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed home in Maryland was the Wall Street Journal's Moscow correspondent Evan Gershkovich, who was jailed last month for 16 years on espionage charges in Russia.

Hailing U.S. allies for helping to secure the multinational deal, Biden said, "It feels wonderful. It's been a long time coming. I was absolutely confident we could get it done. I meant it when I said — alliances make a difference. They stepped up and took a chance for us, and it mattered a lot."

The primary consideration for the prisoner exchange this time is likely the domestic political concerns of both Washington and Moscow, Diao said.

However, it also demonstrates that as long as they have the motivation and willingness, they can achieve and even advance relatively deep communication, at least through third parties, to jointly push certain developments in a direction both sides would like to see, he added.