US and Russia exchange 2 prisoners

Important to keep lines open, says CIA

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Russia and the United States exchanged prisoners yesterday, the second such swap since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House as the two superpowers push for closer ties.

Moscow released US-Russian ballet dancer and spa worker Ksenia Karelina, who had been detained in Russia for 12 years on treason charges, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

In exchange, the United States released Arthur Petrov, said Russian state media, citing the FSB security service. The Russian-German citizen had been facing up to 20 years in a US jail for violating export controls.

“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year,” Mr Rubio wrote on social media platform X, adding that Mr Trump “will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.”