VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/. The August prisoner swap exchange between Russia and the US was a win-win for everybody involved, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

"At the end of the day, I think the process produced a positive result for all participants. The return home of our citizens, including those who performed special missions abroad in the country’s interests, was definitely the biggest achievement," he said, drawing applause from the audience.

When asked about the prospects of Russians currently in custody in the US returning home, Putin stressed that Russia was always ready to provide assistance to citizens in need, including those abroad. "We always treat all Russian nationals in need of the government’s assistance equally, and we will maintain this approach in the future," the head of state said.

"As for the exchanges that took place recently, many countries took part in this work, in this mission. In particular, talking about the US reporter who was disguised as a journalist but in fact was performing intelligence missions (Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich - TASS), the Saudi crown prince played an active role in the beginning stages of his release. We are grateful to him, too, because it eventually led to getting our guys back home," Putin stressed. "There also was the Turkish president, Mr. Erdogan, who provided a platform to finally resolve these issues, as well as some Arab countries that showed goodwill in the process," he added.

Eight Russian citizens detained and imprisoned in a number of NATO countries, as well as minors, returned home as a result of a swap carried out at Ankara’s airport on August 1. President Vladimir Putin met the released Russians at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport. The Russians were exchanged for a group of persons convicted for acting in the interests of foreign governments.

Eastern Economic Forum

The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is underway on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok on September 3-6, 2024. The main theme of the EEF in 2024 is "Far East 2030. Combining strengths to create new potential." The Roscongress Foundation has served as the Forum’s organizer since 2016. TASS is the general information partner of the EEF.