The swop of 26 prisoners between the United States and Russia on Aug 1 was the "culmination of many rounds of complex, painstaking negotiations over many, many months", according to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
There has never been such a sensational exchange of prisoners between the West and Moscow even during the Cold War, when such deals used to be frequent.
On Aug 1, under great secrecy, government planes from Russia, Germany, Slovenia, Poland, Norway and the US landed at an airport in the Turkish capital of Ankara, each carrying prisoners on board. Masked security guards then started moving the prisoners from one aircraft to the next, in a shuffle resembling a game of speed dating.
Ten were handed over by Western governments to Russia, while the Russians released 16 prisoners, mostly to the US.
Both sides were determined to extract the maximum political capital from the occasion. US President Joe Biden telephoned America's freed citizens while they were still in the air, and greeted each one individually as they landed in Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin received his freed citizens with a red carpet, a guard of honour, bouquets of flowers and promises of future state awards and decorations.
Yet, as significant and gratifying as this is to those currently free on both sides, the prisoner exchange also leaves a bitter aftertaste.
The transaction will only encourage the already well-established Russian practice of using people - including its own citizens as mere commodities that can be held hostage or bartered at will.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 03, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 03, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
HORSEBACK FISHING ALIVE IN BELGIUM
A fisherman on horseback drags his net in the sea to catch grey shrimp in Oostduinkerke in Belgium in October.
K-pop star Jessi cleared of charges in case of fan assault
South Korea-based American singer-rapper Jessi has been cleared of all charges in the case of a fan assault that took place in front of her.
S'pore movies Wonderland and A Year Of No Significance selected for China film festival
Two made-in-Singapore movies have been selected to take part in the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival.
JJ Lin's concert tour to return to Singapore in December
Home-grown Mandopop star JJ Lin is set to return to Singapore's National Stadium on Dec 28 and 29 for the second leg of his JJ20 World Tour.
Three charged in Liam Payne's death
Three people have been charged in relation to One Direction singer Liam Payne's death in a fall from his Buenos Aires hotel balcony in October, the Argentine authorities said on Nov 7.
Looks like a lion, purrs like a pussycat
The two-door Mercedes-AMG CLE53 appears stout and aggressive, but is a friendly and easy-to-drive car
Dramatic electric roadster bolsters MG's street cred
The Cyberster is a two-seater convertible that mixes brawn and beauty as well as value and efficiency
V12 performance and looks define new Aston Martin Vanquish
After a six-year hiatus, the Aston Martin Vanquish returns as a meaner and bigger grand tourer.
Lively and sublime all-French concert by Red Dot Baroque
The Tastes Reunited comes from the French phrase Les Gouts-reunis coined by Baroque composer Francois Couperin, referring to a glorious unification of Italian virtuosity and dramatics with French elegance and restraint in musical performance.
Golden age for parks in America
Cities are sprucing up waterfronts, transforming abandoned industrial sites and bringing green space to neighbourhoods