- The U.S. and Russia held a second prisoner exchange since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
- Russia exchanged amateur ballerina Ksenia Karelina in exchange for accused smuggler Arthur Petrov.
- In context, the exchange is a bright spot in a politically tumultuous U.S.-Russia relationship that includes conflict with Ukraine and China.
The United States and Russia on Thursday made their second prisoner swap since President Donald Trump resumed the presidency and pledged to improve American relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The exchange came on the same day the U.S. and Russian officials met in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss ceasefire proposals in Ukraine. This meeting follows Russia’s refusal to concede to a ceasefire proposal put forth by the U.S. and agreed to by Ukraine.
The prisoner exchange took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Abu Dhabi ministry made a public statement expressing the hope that “these efforts will contribute to supporting efforts to reduce tensions and promote dialogue and understanding, thus achieving security and stability at the regional and international levels.”
Russia sends an American citizen home
Russian-American woman Ksenia Karelina, an amateur ballerina and Los Angeles resident who became a U.S. citizen in 2021, traveled to Russia in January 2024 to visit family members.
She was detained after making a donation of about $50 to Razom for Ukraine, a U.S.-based charity whose proceeds go to the Ukrainian war effort against Russia. Russian authorities convicted her of treason in August and sentenced her to a 12-year prison sentence.
She spent 15 months in Russian detention before her release.
CNN reported that Karelina’s boyfriend, Chris van Heerden, coaches boxing at film director Peter Berg’s gym. Berg learned about Karelina’s arrest and informed Ultimate Fighting Championship chief executive Dana White, who personally shared the story with Trump in February 2025.
The president then made Karelina’s case a priority. Now, a little over a month later, an X post from Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that Karelina is winging her way back across the Atlantic.
Russian state media also shared that Putin pardoned Karelina prior to her release.
In exchange, the U.S. released Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian-German citizen who had been accused of exporting military-grade electronics in violation of sanctions on Russia.
What is the status of the ceasefire in the Ukraine war?
American efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine-Russia war have not yet met with much success, though at the end of March, both nations at war agreed to a U.S. proposal to halt fighting in the Black Sea, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Prior to the ceasefire in the Black Sea, Russia rejected a 30-day ceasefire to which Ukraine had agreed.
Intelligence indicates that both Ukraine and Russia are preparing military campaigns for the spring and summer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reported that his troops have come into combat with Chinese soldiers fighting on Russia’s behalf.
China has called Zelenskyy’s claims “totally unfounded” and implied that the soldiers Ukrainian forces have come into contact with enlisted in the Russian cause independently.
If China were to join Russia in the conflict, tensions might significantly escalate between the U.S. and China at a time when both countries are already at one another’s throats in the form of heavy tariffs.