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WATCH Biden's heartwarming gesture towards daughter of freed Russian prisoner melts netizens' hearts

By Divya Kishore
Published on : 00:26 PST, Aug 2, 2024
WATCH Biden's heartwarming gesture towards daughter of freed Russian prisoner melts netizens' hearts
Joe Biden celebrated the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan from Russian captivity on August 1, 2024, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevill/ Getty Image)

WASHINGTON, DC: President Joe Biden and other White House officials reportedly celebrated the birthday of a freed Russian prisoner’s daughter on Thursday, August 1.

Miriam Butorin was in the State Dining Room at the White House to greet her mother, Alsu Kurmasheva, along with other prisoners released in a swap with Russia, The New York Post reported.

 

Joe Biden celebrates freed prisoner’s daughter

Their release came just a day before Miriam Butorin's 13th birthday.

Predisent Joe Biden shared, “As of today my administration has brought home over 70 Americans who were wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad,” before stating, “They never gave up hope. We can’t imagine what they’ve been through.”

U.S. President Joe Biden, holding hands with Miriam Butorin, daughter of Alsu Kurmasheva, and joined by relatives of prisoners freed by Russia, delivers remarks on the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan from Russian captivity, in the State Dining Room at the White House on August 01, 2024 in Washington, DC. The two, along with Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen and Radio Free Europe journalist, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Washington Post columnist, and others were released in a prisoner exchange with Russia. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
On August 1, 2024, in the State Dining Room at the White House, US President Joe Biden, holding hands with Miriam Butorin, the daughter of Alsu Kurmasheva, and accompanied by the relatives of prisoners released by Russia, gave a speech regarding the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan from Russian captivity ( Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Joe Biden mentioned that “tomorrow’s a big day, the 13th birthday of Miriam,” as he went on to sing “Happy Birthday” for her.

The Democratic leader also jokingly told the teenager, “Remember, no serious boyfriends until you’re 30. God bless you.”

U.S. President Joe Biden answers reporters' questions after announcing the release of prisoners freed by Russia, including Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, in the East Room at the White House on August 01, 2024, in Washington, DC. The two, along with Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen and Radio Free Europe journalist, Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Washington Post columnist, and others were released in a prisoner exchange with Russia. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden answered reporters' questions after announcing the release of prisoners freed by Russia, including Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, in the East Room at the White House on August 01, 2024, in Washington, DC ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Now she gets to celebrate with her mom. That’s what this is all about,” he added.

Joe Biden administration released 16 prisoners from Russia

On Thursday, 16 prisoners were released in exchange for eight Russians held in Western nations.

Out of the 16 people released, three were reportedly Americans and one was a permanent US green card holder.

The New York Post also reported that five of them were from Germany and seven were Russian citizens, who were sent behind bars in their own country.

Joe Biden backed out from reelection

The swap took place just over a week after Joe Biden announced that he would not be running for reelection.

“In recent weeks, it’s become clear to me I need to unite my party … but nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy – and that includes personal ambition. So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our nation,” Biden said in a statement.

“You know, there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices —yes, younger voices. And that time of place is now,” Biden added.

Netizens call out Joe Biden for not acknowledging one of his grandkids

Meanwhile, people have reacted to Joe Biden singing "Happy Birthday" to Alsu Kurmasheva’s daughter.

An X user tweeted, “What a beautiful moment. President Biden just sang happy birthday to a daughter of one of the hostages. He is a good, decent man with a big heart. We are lucky to have President Biden.”

 

Another user commented, "He's such a wonderful man. 💙"

"Biden is a happy soul," a user remarked. Another stated, "This is a sweet act by Biden."

"What a great man!" one user added. A tweet read, "Presidential. Beautiful."

Another tweet was "Oh what a great man! ❤️"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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