Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump talk at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam, on Nov. 11, 2017. Photo: EPA-EFE / Jorge Silva
Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed a potential prisoner exchange and the prospects for future U.S.-Russia relations during their phone call earlier today, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who was cited by state-controlled news agency TASS. Ushakov’s statement to the press was also released in full by the business publication RBC.
Speaking to reporters, Ushakov said Trump stressed the need for mutual respect and reciprocal benefit in U.S. dealings with Russia. The two leaders reportedly agreed to prepare a humanitarian prisoner exchange involving nine people from each side — a “9-for-9” swap — which Ushakov said is already in the works.
“Prisoner exchanges involving citizens of both countries were mentioned. This is an important humanitarian action — several such actions have already taken place in recent months. The presidents noted that another exchange, involving 9 people on each side, is currently being worked out,” Ushakov said.
Ushakov did not specify which individuals might be included in the exchange or give any details regarding its timing or location.
Putin and Trump also agreed to continue their dialogue on key issues, including the war in Ukraine, and expressed interest in a possible in-person meeting provided that such a face-to-face is thoroughly prepared. As with the upcoming exchange, no date or location has yet been determined, according to Ushakov.
Trump also mentioned that a new sanctions bill targeting Russia is being prepared in the U.S. Senate, but stressed that he personally supports “reaching agreements rather than imposing sanctions.”
The call ended with both leaders agreeing to remain in touch, with Trump reportedly telling Putin he is welcome to call him “at any time.”
Following Trump’s return to the presidency, Russia and the U.S. have continued to engage in high-level prisoner exchanges. On April 10, Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina — sentenced in Russia last year to 12 years on charges of treason over a $50 donation she made to the Razom for Ukraine charity — was exchanged in the UAE for Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian-German citizen facing multiple charges in the U.S., including circumventing sanctions to export microelectronics with potential military applications to Russia.
Earlier, on Feb. 11, Russia released American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who had been imprisoned on drug smuggling charges after he was arrested at the Russian border in 2021 with 17 grams of medical marijuana in his luggage. Fogel was retrieved from Moscow by Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. In exchange, Russia got back convicted money launderer Alexander Vinnik.