The biggest spy swap since the end of the Cold War appeared to have taken place on Friday as Russian and planes met in Vienna to exchange agents, defusing an espionage drama that threatened improving relations. Two planes involved in the swap, one Russian, one US , parked side by side on the tarmac at Vienna airport for around an hour and a half as vehicles shuttled between them. The Russian plane then took off, followed by the plane. Local officials maintained a strict news blackout throughout. Moscow and Washington had earlier agreed to swap 10 Russian agents held in the for four Russians jailed in on charges of spying for the West. The dramatic conclusion to the espionage scandal which has gripped came after spymasters brokered the deal on the instructions of presidents keen not to derail a series of important diplomatic breakthroughs in Russia-U.S. relations. In the first step of the carefully choreographed swap, the 10 Russian agents pleaded guilty on Thursday in a New York court to charges against them and were immediately deported. Then, around midnight local time, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree pardoning four spies serving jail terms in on charges of spying for the West. Some of those accused in the boarded a plane in New York on Thursday night and the same Vision Airlines jet landed in Vienna on Friday, a Reuters witness said. As the planes stood parked in the bright sunshine, some people were seen boarding the Russian Emergency Ministry jet at the airport and others boarded the Vision Airlines jet. The Russian aircraft then took off, followed about 10 minutes later by the jet. "The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
Two planes involved in the swap, one Russian, one US , parked side by side on the tarmac at Vienna airport for around an hour and a half as vehicles shuttled between them. The Russian plane then took off, followed by the plane. Local officials maintained a strict news blackout throughout. Moscow and Washington had earlier agreed to swap 10 Russian agents held in the for four Russians jailed in on charges of spying for the West. The dramatic conclusion to the espionage scandal which has gripped came after spymasters brokered the deal on the instructions of presidents keen not to derail a series of important diplomatic breakthroughs in Russia-U.S. relations. In the first step of the carefully choreographed swap, the 10 Russian agents pleaded guilty on Thursday in a New York court to charges against them and were immediately deported. Then, around midnight local time, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree pardoning four spies serving jail terms in on charges of spying for the West. Some of those accused in the boarded a plane in New York on Thursday night and the same Vision Airlines jet landed in Vienna on Friday, a Reuters witness said. As the planes stood parked in the bright sunshine, some people were seen boarding the Russian Emergency Ministry jet at the airport and others boarded the Vision Airlines jet. The Russian aircraft then took off, followed about 10 minutes later by the jet. "The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
Local officials maintained a strict news blackout throughout. Moscow and Washington had earlier agreed to swap 10 Russian agents held in the for four Russians jailed in on charges of spying for the West. The dramatic conclusion to the espionage scandal which has gripped came after spymasters brokered the deal on the instructions of presidents keen not to derail a series of important diplomatic breakthroughs in Russia-U.S. relations. In the first step of the carefully choreographed swap, the 10 Russian agents pleaded guilty on Thursday in a New York court to charges against them and were immediately deported. Then, around midnight local time, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree pardoning four spies serving jail terms in on charges of spying for the West. Some of those accused in the boarded a plane in New York on Thursday night and the same Vision Airlines jet landed in Vienna on Friday, a Reuters witness said. As the planes stood parked in the bright sunshine, some people were seen boarding the Russian Emergency Ministry jet at the airport and others boarded the Vision Airlines jet. The Russian aircraft then took off, followed about 10 minutes later by the jet. "The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
Moscow and Washington had earlier agreed to swap 10 Russian agents held in the for four Russians jailed in on charges of spying for the West. The dramatic conclusion to the espionage scandal which has gripped came after spymasters brokered the deal on the instructions of presidents keen not to derail a series of important diplomatic breakthroughs in Russia-U.S. relations. In the first step of the carefully choreographed swap, the 10 Russian agents pleaded guilty on Thursday in a New York court to charges against them and were immediately deported. Then, around midnight local time, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree pardoning four spies serving jail terms in on charges of spying for the West. Some of those accused in the boarded a plane in New York on Thursday night and the same Vision Airlines jet landed in Vienna on Friday, a Reuters witness said. As the planes stood parked in the bright sunshine, some people were seen boarding the Russian Emergency Ministry jet at the airport and others boarded the Vision Airlines jet. The Russian aircraft then took off, followed about 10 minutes later by the jet. "The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
The dramatic conclusion to the espionage scandal which has gripped came after spymasters brokered the deal on the instructions of presidents keen not to derail a series of important diplomatic breakthroughs in Russia-U.S. relations. In the first step of the carefully choreographed swap, the 10 Russian agents pleaded guilty on Thursday in a New York court to charges against them and were immediately deported. Then, around midnight local time, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree pardoning four spies serving jail terms in on charges of spying for the West. Some of those accused in the boarded a plane in New York on Thursday night and the same Vision Airlines jet landed in Vienna on Friday, a Reuters witness said. As the planes stood parked in the bright sunshine, some people were seen boarding the Russian Emergency Ministry jet at the airport and others boarded the Vision Airlines jet. The Russian aircraft then took off, followed about 10 minutes later by the jet. "The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
In the first step of the carefully choreographed swap, the 10 Russian agents pleaded guilty on Thursday in a New York court to charges against them and were immediately deported. Then, around midnight local time, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree pardoning four spies serving jail terms in on charges of spying for the West. Some of those accused in the boarded a plane in New York on Thursday night and the same Vision Airlines jet landed in Vienna on Friday, a Reuters witness said. As the planes stood parked in the bright sunshine, some people were seen boarding the Russian Emergency Ministry jet at the airport and others boarded the Vision Airlines jet. The Russian aircraft then took off, followed about 10 minutes later by the jet. "The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
Then, around midnight local time, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree pardoning four spies serving jail terms in on charges of spying for the West. Some of those accused in the boarded a plane in New York on Thursday night and the same Vision Airlines jet landed in Vienna on Friday, a Reuters witness said. As the planes stood parked in the bright sunshine, some people were seen boarding the Russian Emergency Ministry jet at the airport and others boarded the Vision Airlines jet. The Russian aircraft then took off, followed about 10 minutes later by the jet. "The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
Some of those accused in the boarded a plane in New York on Thursday night and the same Vision Airlines jet landed in Vienna on Friday, a Reuters witness said. As the planes stood parked in the bright sunshine, some people were seen boarding the Russian Emergency Ministry jet at the airport and others boarded the Vision Airlines jet. The Russian aircraft then took off, followed about 10 minutes later by the jet. "The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
As the planes stood parked in the bright sunshine, some people were seen boarding the Russian Emergency Ministry jet at the airport and others boarded the Vision Airlines jet. The Russian aircraft then took off, followed about 10 minutes later by the jet. "The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
"The United States has agreed to transfer these individuals to the custody of the ," the United States Justice Department said on Thursday. "In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
"In exchange, the has agreed to release four individuals who are incarcerated in for alleged contact with Western intelligence agencies," it said. The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
The spy scandal broke at an awkward time for U.S.-Russia ties, just days after Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for a friendly Washington summit last month. The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
The and Russian legislatures are also considering ratification of a key treaty cutting nuclear weapons and Russian accession to the World Trade Organization, things neither side wants to jeopardize. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy swap "gives reason to expect that the course agreed on by the leaders of and the will be consistently implemented in practice and that attempts to knock the parties off this course will not succeed." But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
But the swap itself -- which one Russian internet site quipped wasrussia 10: USA 4" -- may add fuel to Republican accusations that President Barack Obama is being too soft on Moscow . (Reuters)
(Reuters)