You have to hand it to Joe. Two weeks ago, isolating at his home in Delaware, sick with Covid and sick at heart over his imminent decision to abandon his re-election bid, Biden nevertheless dutifully picked up the phone and called the prime minister of Slovenia. The US was trying to finalise an extraordinary, large-scale prisoner swap with Russia. Slovenia’s agreement to release two Russian spies was a key element in a complex, fragile negotiation. As the world now knows, ailing Biden pulled it off.
Many critical things have been said about the US president of late, some in this space. But credit where credit is due. Last week’s freeing of 16 prisoners held on trumped-up charges by Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship – three Americans, six people from other western countries and seven Russian nationals – was a personal triumph for Biden. He quietly pushed for a breakthrough for more than a year. He took chances, twisted arms, spent political capital – and ultimately succeeded.
