‘New spirit’ approval as Vienna hosts US-Russian spies exchange
Political exports praised the “new spirit” between Washington and Russia as one of the most spectacular espionage cases came to an end in Vienna today (Fri).US officials arrived with ten suspected spies 10 men and one women to Vienna International Airport (VIA) around midday, while a plane from Moscow carried four suspected male American spies.Mark Toner, a spokesman for the US foreign affairs ministry, defended the controversial exchange with Russia. Speaking about the arrests of the alleged agents two weeks ago, he said: “Keeping them arrested would not have meant higher interior safety.”Rudolf Gollia, a spokesman for the Austrian interior ministry, said he could not comment on the agreement between the former enemies. Gollia explained neither the Austrian government nor the countrys interior security authorities got involved.International relations analysts meanwhile lauded todays 90-minute exchange as a confirmation that the relation between the United States and Russia were better than ever before.