Russia, US swap prisoners in push for closer ties

The United States on Thursday exchanged a sanctions-busting suspect for a ballet dancer held by Russia, the second swap under President Donald Trump as Moscow and Washington push to rebuild ties.

Moscow released a Los Angeles-based ballet dancer convicted in Russia of "treason" over a one-time donation worth around $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity. Ksenia Karelina holds dual US-Russian nationality.

Washington released Arthur Petrov, a Russian-German national accused of illegally exporting US-made electronics to manufacturers supplying the Russian military.

The exchange took place at an airport in Abu Dhabi, where a dozen people wearing suits were present, video posted by Russia's FSB security service showed.

Trump has sought to reset ties with Moscow since taking office, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine three years ago plunged bilateral relations to their lowest point since the Cold War.

"American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media platform X.

"She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year." Trump will "continue to work for the release of ALL Americans," Rubio added.

The FSB video showed Petrov seated on a plane after he was freed, telling an unseen interviewer that he had not slept for two days but otherwise had no complaints.

Petrov, arrested in Cyprus in 2023 and extradited to the United States, was facing 20 years in a US jail for violating export controls.

- 'Positive' step -

Asked about the exchange in a daily briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment.

But The Wall Street Journal, citing a Central Intelligence Agency official, said the swap had been negotiated by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and a senior Russian intelligence official.

A CIA spokeswoman told the paper the exchange showed the importance of "keeping lines of communication open with Russia, despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship."

"While we are disappointed that other Americans remain wrongfully detained in Russia, we see this exchange as a positive step and will continue to work for their release," she added.

Russian and US officials have held several meetings since Trump took office in January.

As the prisoner swap took place, delegations from the two sides were holding talks in Istanbul on restoring embassy staffing levels after years of diplomat expulsions.

The State Department said after the meeting that Washington renewed concern about rules that prohibit local staff from working for US missions in Russia.

The two sides also moved to formalize an agreement on banking access for their diplomats, despite the US sanctions on Russia, the State Department said.

- Prisoner swaps -

Karelina, 33, was serving a 12-year prison sentence for having donated around $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity.

She was arrested in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in January 2024 while on a trip to visit her family and charged with "treason."

Russia's Federal Security Service accused her of collecting funds for Ukraine's army used to purchase "equipment, weapons and ammunition" -- charges she denied. Her supporters say she had donated to a US-based organization that delivers humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Petrov was accused by US authorities of having illegally exported electronic components to Russia for military use, in violation of Washington's sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war.

In mid-February, following a call between Putin and Trump, Russia released Kalob Wayne Byers, a 28-year-old US citizen arrested at a Moscow airport for transporting cannabis gummy sweets.

Washington and Moscow also exchanged US teacher Marc Fogel for Russian computer expert Alexander Vinnik in early February.

The largest US-Russia prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War took place on August 1, 2024. It involved the release of journalists, including WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, and dissidents held in Russia in exchange for alleged Russian spies held in the West.

Several American citizens remain incarcerated in Russia. Washington has accused Moscow of using them as bargaining chips to secure the release of Russians held in the United States.