In exchange, the United States has released Artur Petrov, a double German-Russian citizen who was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the American authorities for having allegedly exported sensitive microelectronics.
“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back in the United States. She was wrongly detained by Russia for more than a year and President Trump obtained her release,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding that Trump “will continue to work for the release of all Americans.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, which first broke the story, the exchange took place at Abu Dhabi airport as part of an agreement negotiated by intelligence agencies.
CIA director John Ratcliffe, and a senior Russian intelligence official led talks on the swap, reported the newspaper, citing a CIA official.
The Russian Federal Security Service confirmed the prisoners’ scholarship later on Thursday.
Thursday’s swap marks the second exchange of this type between Washington and Moscow since Trump took office earlier this year. In February, the United States obtained the release of Marc Fogel, an American teacher previously owned in Russia for drugs, in exchange for Russian entrepreneur Alexander Vinnik.
Politices
