How the Russia swap happened: Secret talks, a hitman, and Biden’s fateful call

But no one knew for certain that the deal would go through until the very end.
In a sign of the strain on negotiators and families alike, Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan choked up on the White House podium as he welcomed what he called a “good day.”
“We held our breath and crossed our fingers until just a couple of hours ago,” he said.
The process leading to Thursday’s news began all the way back in 2018 when Whelan was arrested and Donald Trump was US president.
Not only was Whelan not freed, but then Gershkovich was arrested while reporting in Yekaterinburg in March, 2023. Suddenly “these efforts were obviously made more complicated,” Sullivan said.