An inside scoop of the historic prisoner swap

SALT LAKE CITY – Today, August 1, 2024, the world saw one of the largest prisoner swaps since the end of the Cold War. On this historic day, multiple countries joined hands to coordinate the release of more than a dozen American citizens held in Russia.

Now, they are free and on their way back to their families.

Turkey was instrumental during these negotiations, as the swap occurred in its capital Ankara. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Jeff Flake, was there when it happened. He told KSL NewsRadio it was an extremely complicated process. But the hardest part was keeping it quiet until the end.

“It was extremely closely held, and just very few people at each post knew what was going on. That’s the way it has to be,” Ambassador Flake said.

Turkey’s role in the prisoner swap

Turkey has played a key role in several recent international affairs.

“They’ve been very helpful with regard to Ukraine and supplying the drones, and invoking the Montreal Convention to keep Russian warships out of the Black Sea,” Ambassador Flake said.

They also negotiated prisoner releases between Ukraine and Russia and helped secure the release of American basketball player Brittney Griner.

Ambassador Flake said this swap was not easy, compared to past prisoner swaps he witnessed.

“Making sure that all the planes get to Ankara on time and that the exchanges happen, and then you never breathe well until it wheels up for the final plane,” he said.

The importance of relationships

One big takeaway from this prisoner swap, Ambassador Flake said, is that relationships with allies matter.

“This would not have gone off had we not had good relationships with our allies abroad,” he said.

Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio.