Recently Released Russian Ballerina Prisoner to Visit White House
The 33-year-old dual citizen's visit underscores the delicate balance of negotiations with Moscow amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Karelina, a Los Angeles resident and amateur ballerina who was born in Russia and became a U.S. citizen in 2021, was arrested in February 2024 while visiting family in Yekaterinburg.
Russian authorities
The charity, Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based nonprofit, denied funding military efforts and said its group is focused on humanitarian aid.
'The case against Ksenia Karelina was a farce from the moment of her detention,' Dora Chomiak, the charity's CEO, said in a
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'Peacefully demonstrating solidarity with the people of Ukraine is not a crime.'
Russia's Federal Security Service claimed the donation supported Ukraine's armed forces.
Karelina pleaded guilty in August 2024 and was sentenced to 12 years in a maximum-security prison.
Her release on April 10 came after intense negotiations between American and Russian intelligence agencies, culminating in a swap at an Abu Dhabi airport overseen by Central Intelligence Agency director John Ratcliffe.
'Honored to greet Ksenia Karelina early this morning and help get her returned home to the United States. Grateful for the CIA officers who worked to make this success possible,' Ratcliffe
'President Trump will continue to work for the release of all wrongfully detained Americans.'
To secure the deal, the United States freed Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian German citizen accused of smuggling military-grade electronics in violation of sanctions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a pardon for Karelina, a gesture seen as a nod to improving ties with the Trump administration, which has signaled openness to dialogue with Moscow to end the Ukraine conflict.
The exchange reflects a broader pattern of U.S.–Russia prisoner swaps, including the February release of American teacher Marc Fogel for Russian cybercriminal Alexander Vinnik.
Fogel also visited Trump at the executive mansion.
Karelina's White House visit, symbolizing Trump's 'peace through strength' policy, comes as his administration pushes for a Ukraine peace deal, with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff expected to visit Moscow soon.
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New York Post
6 minutes ago
- New York Post
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New York Post
6 minutes ago
- New York Post
Body language expert reveals ‘little battle' during Trump-Putin handshake at Alaska summit: ‘Let go, I'm winning'
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The Hill
6 minutes ago
- The Hill
Summit puts Putin back on the global stage and Trump echoes a Kremlin position
In Alaska, President Vladimir Putin walked on a red carpet, shook hands and exchanged smiles with his American counterpart. Donald Trump ended the summit praising their relationship and calling Russia 'a big power … No. 2 in the world,' albeit admitting they didn't reach a deal on ending the war in Ukraine. By Saturday morning Moscow time, Trump appeared to have abandoned the idea of a ceasefire as a step toward peace — something he and Ukraine had pushed for months -– in favor of pursuing a full-fledged 'Peace Agreement' to end the war, echoing a long-held Kremlin position. The 'severe consequences' he threatened against Moscow for continuing hostilities were nowhere in sight. On Ukraine's battlefields, Russian troops slowly grinded on, with time on their side. The hastily arranged Alaska summit 'produced nothing for Mr. Trump and gave Mr. Putin most of what he was looking for,' said Laurie Bristow, a former British ambassador to Russia. 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In the days before Alaska, Trump also threatened unspecified 'very severe consequences' if Putin does not agree to stop the war. But whether those consequences will materialize remains unclear. Asked about that in a post-summit interview with Fox News Channel, Trump said he doesn't need 'to think about that right now,' and suggested he might revisit the idea in 'two weeks or three weeks or something.' More pressure on Ukraine In a statement after the summit, Putin claimed the two leaders had hammered out an 'understanding' on Ukraine and warned Europe not to 'torpedo the nascent progress.' But Trump said 'there's no deal until there's a deal.' In his Fox interview, Trump insisted the onus going forward might be on Zelenskyy 'to get it done,' but said there would also be some involvement from European nations. Zelenskyy will meet Trump at the White House on Monday. Both raised the possibility of a trilateral summit with Putin, but Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said it wasn't discussed in Alaska. The Kremlin has long maintained that Putin would only meet Zelenskyy in the final stages of peace talks. 'Trump now appears to be shifting responsibility towards Kyiv and Europe, while still keeping a role for himself,' Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Center wrote on X. Fiona Hill, a senior adviser on Russia to Trump during his first administration, told AP that he has met his match because 'Putin is a much bigger bully.' Trump wants to be the negotiator of 'a big real estate deal between Russia and Ukraine,' she said, but in his mind he can 'apply real pressure' only to one side — Kyiv. Hill said she expects Trump to tell Zelenskyy that 'you're really going to have to make a deal' with Putin because Trump wants the conflict off his plate and is not prepared to put pressure on the Russian president. Far from the summit venue and its backdrop saying 'Pursuing Peace,' Russia continued to bombard Ukraine and make incremental advances on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front. Russia fired a ballistic missile and 85 drones overnight. Ukraine shot down or intercepted 61 drones, its air force said. Front-line areas of Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Chernihiv were attacked. Russia's Defense Ministry said it had taken control of the village of Kolodyazi in the Donetsk region, along with Vorone in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukraine did not comment on the claims. Russian forces are closing in on the strongholds of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2022 but still only partially controls. 'Unless Mr. Putin is absolutely convinced that he cannot win militarily, the fighting is not going to stop,' said Bristow, the former ambassador. 'That's the big takeaway from the Anchorage summit.'
