Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two other Americans were freed from Russia in a prisoner exchange today. In total, 24 prisoners, including 12 German nationals and eight Russians, as well as two children – who were not prisoners – were exchanged in Ankara, Turkey.

It was the largest prisoner exchange in post-Soviet history – and the first one between Washington and Moscow since a December 2022 trade that brought WNBA star Brittney Griner back to the U.S. in exchange for Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout. A complex agreement that involved secret talks among seven countries, including the U.S., Slovenia, Turkey, Norway and Germany, the deal was more than two years in the making – and almost didn’t happen.

Some experts have called this kind of agreement “hostage diplomacy,” reflecting a growing trend of countries imprisoning foreigners on questionable grounds and using their potential release as bargaining chips to achieve other goals.

William E. Butler, a legal scholar at Penn State Dickinson Law who specializes in international law and Russian law, answered questions about what rules – informal or otherwise – help guide these sorts of delicate negotiations and agreements.

What stands out to you about this deal?

The scale is remarkable and is the largest U.S.-Russia prisoner swap [in post-Soviet history].

Seven countries are involved and 26 people released, which is extremely unusual. Normally, there would be bilateral negotiations to release a small number of people.

It is important to understand that hostage and prisoner deals........

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