U.S.-Russia Prisoner Swap: U.S. Marine Trevor Reed Freed in Exchange for Convicted Russian Drug Trafficker

The United States and Russia have carried out an unexpected prisoner exchange in a time of spiraling tensions, trading U.S. Marine Trevor Reed for a convicted Russian drug trafficker on Wednesday.

Reed was a U.S. Marine detained in Russia for nearly three years. The trade would have been a notable diplomatic maneuver even in times of peace. But it was more surprising since it was done during Russia's war with Ukraine, according to the Associated Press.

Russia received on their end as part of the deal Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the U.S.

Reed's father, Joey, told the AP that the U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange occurred in Turkey when "the two planes pulled up side by side... and then they got out."

"I think it's going to really hit home for him and for us when we finally get to see him and touch him," Joey told the outlet.

Reed is a 30-year-old former Marine from Texas. He was arrested in the summer of 2019 after Russian authorities said he assaulted an officer while being driven by police to a police station after a night of heavy drinking.

Russian authorities sentenced him to nine years in prison, which the U.S. government described as being "unjustly detained."

Trevor Reed Released via U.S.-Russia Prisoner Exchange

Trevor Reed's parents received a call from President Joe Biden, whom they met in Washington D.C. last month. Biden noted that Joey was "totally gracious and wonderful and kind," Yahoo News reported.

He also told Reed's parents that he hoped they would be able to meet with them again soon. Biden has confirmed Reed's release in a statement.

The president noted that he was delighted to be able to share with Reed's family the good news about the former Marine's freedom. Biden said the negotiations that allowed them to bring Reed home required difficult decisions that he does not take lightly.

Biden noted that Reed's safe return was a "testament to the priority" that his administration places on bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki commented on Konstantin Yaroshenko's release, saying that he had already served the majority of his prison sentence for a nonviolent drug crime. Psaki added that their overriding priority was the safe return of Reed, whose health had reportedly deteriorated.

Russia-Ukraine War

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that he hopes to move toward reopening the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv in the next few weeks while U.S. diplomats started returning to Lviv for day trips on Tuesday.

Blinken noted that the administration would put forward a request for supplemental funding in the "next couple of days" after Biden exhausted the budget in his presidential drawdown authority to aid in providing weapons and other military assistance to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Microsoft released a detailed report of what it described as "destructive" Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine, ABC News reported.

Microsoft has reportedly observed nearly 40 attacks targeting "hundreds of systems," with 32 percent of the destructive attacks directly targeting Ukrainian government organizations.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Timeline: Trevor Reed's Detention in Russia and Release - From ABC News