Election 2024 live: Harris and Biden greet prisoners released from Russia as Trump trashes swap deal

The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post- Soviet history on Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan , along with dissidents including Vladimir Kara-Murza , in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free.

Gershkovich, Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist with dual US-Russia citizenship, arrived on American soil shortly before midnight and were greeted by president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris , before joyful reunions with their families.

The historic prisoner swap deal has been hailed as a diplomatic victory across the world, with the apparent exception of Donald Trump , who bitterly posted on Truth Social that the US never makes good deals and the negotiators were an “embarrassment”.

Meanwhile, with just over two weeks to go before the Democratic National Convention , the party’s virtual roll call has begun with Harris soon expected to become the party’s official nominee.

Voting got underway at 9am ET on Thursday and runs through 5 August. Harris will announce her running mate next week before embarking on a tour of key battleground states.