Utah Valley Times

Provo, Utah — Representative John Curtis (R-UT) issued a statement today following the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan from Russian prisons as part of a prisoner swap.

“I am relieved to see Americans and others wrongly detained by Russia finally returning to their families. Unfortunately, Putin and other authoritarian leaders frequently engage in hostage diplomacy, detaining innocent people to leverage exchanges for criminals, assassins, or sanctions relief. These reprehensible tactics deserve universal condemnation and underscore the profound differences between our nations.”