A Russian-American woman released by Moscow returned to the United States on Thursday night as part of an exchange of complete prisoners when the two countries aim to repair ties.
A plane that transported Ksenia Karelina landed around 11 pm in the joint base of Andrews, where she was received by her fiance.
Morgan Ortago, the special envoy of President Donald Trump to the Middle East, presented a bouquet.
She was released earlier in the day in exchange for a German Russian man who had imprisoned in the United States for smuggling charges.
Karelina was arrested in the city of the Ural Mountains of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and condemned for betrayal for charges that vote from a donation of approximately $ 52 to a charity organization that helps Ukraine.
US authorities have called the “absolutely ridiculous” case.
“They released the young dancer and she is now out, and that was good. So we appreciated that,” said President Donald Trump at a cabinet meeting on Thursday. He said the statement followed the conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Arthur Petrov was released as part of the exchange in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, according to the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the main security and counterintelligence agency in Russia.
Petrov was arrested in Cyprus in August 2023 at the request of the United States for contraband charges of Russia sensitive microelectronics and extradited to the United States a year later.
Karelina was among a growing number of Americans arrested in Russia in recent years, since tensions between Moscow and Washington shot up for the war in Ukraine.
Its launch is the last of a series of exchanges of high profile prisoners Russia and the United States took place in the last three years and the second since Trump Tok Office and reverted Washington’s policy to isolate Russia in an effort to end the war in Ukraine.
The director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, praised “the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort.” The CIA also emphasized that “the exchange shows the importance of keeping Russia’s lines open, despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship.”
Meanwhile, Russian and American diplomats in Istanbul for a second round of conversations about the normalization work of the embassies, after the first meeting of this type in February. The State Department said the delegations “exchanged notes to finish an understanding to guarantee the stability of diplomatic banking for Russian and American bilateral missions.”
He said that the United States reiterated his Conerns on the Russian prohibition of hiring local staff, “the key impediment to maintaining stable and sustainable personnel at the United States embassy in Moscow.”
Alexander Darchiyev, Ambassador of Russia in Washington, who led the Moscow delegation in the conversations, praised his “positive atmosphere” and pointed out that the parties agreed on continuous discussions for the trips of the facilitation diplomats.
Hey added that the Russian side also pressed for a rapid return of his diplomatic property seized by US authorities.
In February, Russia released the American teacher Marc Fogel, imprisoned for drug positions, in an exchange that the White House described as part of a diplomatic thaw that could advance in peace negotiations.
That same month, Russia released another American only a few days after arresting him for drug smuggling charges.
Karelina, a former ballet dancer also identified himself in some media such as Ksenia Khavana, lived in Maryland before moving to Los Angeles. She was arrested when she returned to Russia to visit Re -Family last year.
The FSB accused her or “proactively” collecting money for a Ukrainian organization that supplied equipment to kyiv’s forces.
The first department, a Russian rights group, said the charges voted for a donation of $ 51.80 to an American charity organization that helps Ukraine.
“I’m glad to hear that the love of my life, Ksenia Karelina, is heading home from the unjustified detion in Russia,” said Karelina’s fiance, the professional boxer Chris Van Heerden, in a statement. “She has endured a nightmare for 15 months and I can’t wait to hold her. Our dog, boots, is also anxiously waiting for her return.”
He thanked Trump and his envoys, as well as prominent public figures who had defended his case, including Dana White, a friend of Trump and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Trump also accredited White too, saying that the UFC chief had called him on the case.
The White House National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, said in X: “President Trump and his administration continue to work 24 hours to ensure that Americans detained abroad are returned to their families.”
The exchange was first informed by the Wall Street Journal.
The United Arab Emirates state news agency published photos of Karelina by addressing a plane and one of its stops with Yousef Al-Tootaiba, the Eau ambassador to the United States.
The FSB, who said that Putin had forgiven Karelina before the exchange, released a video that showed his escorted bee to an plane somewhere in Russia. Then, the footage presented what appeared to be the exchange scenario at the Abu Dhabi airport, with Petrov leaving a plane and shaking the hand with Russian officials in the asphalt.
The video showed Petrov suffering medical check -ups on a flight to Russia. “I have no particular complaints, a little tired,” he said.
Another video released by the FSB later in the day he showed him out of a plane after arriving in Russia.
Petrov was accused by the United States Justice Participation Department in a scheme to acquire microelectronic subject to US export controls. UU. In the name of a critical component provider based in Russia for the country’s weapons industries. He faced a 20 -year prison sentence in the United States.
Abu Dhabi was the scene of another exchange of high -profile prisoners between Russia and the United States. In December 2022, the American basketball star Brittney Griner was changed by the famous Russian weapons trafficker Viktor Bout.
The EAU have been mediators in the exchanges of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, while the city of Dubai, with skyscrapers has become the home of many Russians and Ukrainians who fled there after the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine of Ukraine at full calm of Moscow from Moscow.
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