Belarusian president denies Biden’s role in Russia-West prisoner exchange

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that US President Joe Biden "had nothing to do with" the recent prisoner exchange between Russia and several Western countries.

"The special services handled these negotiations, without involving diplomats," Lukashenko claimed, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

He also noted that Belarus "assisted as much as we could" and emphasized that the exchange was carried out "quietly" due to the sensitive nature of the situation.

The Turkish national intelligence agency confirmed its role in mediating the swap.

"We were asked to help, and we assisted as much as we could. People who were serving life sentences in the West were freed. However, someone, like the US president, is trying to boost his credibility, even though he was not involved in this process. The intelligence agencies handled the negotiations, without even involving diplomats. We agreed to keep it quiet, but now it's being broadcasted to the whole world. This should be done quietly; it's about people's lives," Lukashenko added.

On August 1, a prisoner exchange occurred in Ankara between Russia and the West, which involved German national German citizen Rico Krieger, who had been pardoned in Belarus.