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Statement from The Wilson Center's Kennan Institute on the release of Trevor Reed

William E. Pomeranz

Statement from William Pomeranz, Acting Director of the Kennan Institute.

The prisoner swap and return of Trevor Reed indicates that the United States and Russia are at least maintaining some form of communication even as the rhetoric – and economic consequences of U.S. sanctions – continue to escalate.  I do not foresee, however, any substantive change in U.S. policy and military support of Ukraine as a result of this trade.  Indeed, there are more prominent U.S.  and Russian prisoners still detained in each respective country, and the likelihood of more exchanges in the current environment appears remote. Nevertheless, the return of Trevor Reed provides a glimmer of hope for other U.S. prisoners currently stuck in the Russian criminal justice system.  

About the Author

William E. Pomeranz

William E. Pomeranz

Director, Kennan Institute

William Pomeranz, the Director of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute, is an expert guide to the complexities of political and economic developments in Russia, particularly through the lens of law. He leverages extensive, hands-on experience in international and Russian jurisprudence to address a wide range of legal issues, from the development of Russia’s Constitution to human rights law to foreign investment and sanctions. He is also the author of Law and the Russian State: Russia's Legal Evolution from Peter the Great to Vladimir Putin (Bloomsbury, 2018).

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Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier U.S. center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange.  Read more