Russia frees jailed US Marine Trevor Reed in exchange for convicted Russian drug trafficker

The U.S. and Russia have carried out a prisoner swap Wednesday, exchanging Trevor Reed – a Marine veteran jailed in Moscow – for a Russian drug trafficker who has been serving time in America, a senior U.S. official told the Associated Press. 

The deal comes as tensions between U.S. and Russia are running high, with Moscow's bloody invasion of Ukraine in its 63rd day. 

"Today, we welcome home Trevor Reed and celebrate his return to the family that missed him dearly. Trevor, a former U.S. Marine, is free from Russian detention," President Biden said in a statement. "I heard in the voices of Trevor’s parents how much they’ve worried about his health and missed his presence. And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor’s freedom."

Joey Reed, the father of former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, stands next to a placard of his son outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 29, 2021, during a press conference.  (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

In their own statement, the Reed family thanked Biden "for making the decision to bring Trevor home" as well as other administration officials and Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations whom the family said traveled to Moscow in the hours before the Ukraine war began in hopes of securing Reed's release.