ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) – He voiced readiness to act in the same manner regarding citizens of any state, and said he hoped Russia's partners would do the same.
“Several months ago the United States requested us to assist them in liberating an American citizen who found himself in prison in Syria. Following necessary activities we managed to do it. It wasn’t some kind of a special operation, we just talked to Syrian authorities. We received this individual and handed him over to the Americans, of course, with no ransom money involved. We were driven by purely humanitarian motives,” Putin told reporters.
