Donald Trump agrees prisoner swap with Vladimir Putin after his 'crazy' remarks about Russian leader
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have agreed to a prisoner swap, just days after the U.S. President branded his Russian counterpart 'crazy'.
The deal was revealed on Tuesday by Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, who praised Trump as 'a man who wants results' as he spoke at an event in Turkey.
Lavrov said the prisoner swap was agreed amid negotiations over the end of the war in Ukraine, which he accused European nations of attempting to 'sabotage'.
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Sealed: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have agreed to a prisoner swap
As Lavrov announced the deal, sources told the Kyiv Post that Trump was 'seriously considering' lifting all restrictions on how Ukraine uses weapons on Russia.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for details on which prisoners are set to be exchanged.
Tuesday's breakthrough comes four days after Trump separately revealed that a 'major prisoners swap' had taken place between Russia and Ukraine, believed to involve up to 1,000 prisoners on each side.
Breakthrough: The prisoner swap was revealed by Russia 's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform at the time that the massive exchange 'could lead to something big', but did not offer details on what he wanted for brokering the deal.
If the latest trade goes ahead, it will be the first since American teacher Marc Fogel was returned to the U.S. in February after over three years in a Russian prison.
A number of Americans remain in Russian prisons that could form part of the deal, including 72-year-old Stephen Hubbard, who was sentenced last year to almost seven years in jail for fighting for Ukraine in the war.
American soldier Gordon Black, 35, a U.S. staff sergeant, also remains in a Russian jail after he was arrested on dubious theft charges in 2024.
The developments come after a whirlwind weekend of diplomacy from Trump where he told reporters that he was considering imposing new sanctions on Russia.
Trump then launched a blistering attack on Putin where he said the Russian leader has gone 'absolutely crazy'.
Trump condemned the Russians for escalating their strikes on Ukraine while negotiations were ongoing, which he said was resulting in the 'needless killing of a lot of people'.
In a warning about the future of the former Soviet nation if the bloodshed continues, Trump said Putin's war 'will lead to the downfall of Russia.'
'I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform at the time.
Prisoner: American Stephen Hubbard, 72, was sentenced to almost seven years for fighting for Ukraine in the war
Locked up: American soldier Gordon Black, 35, also remains in a Russian jail after he was arrested in May 2024 on dubious theft charges
The Kremlin initially hit back as it suggested that Trump was suffering from the 'emotional overload' of brokering major peace deals across the globe.
'We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when quizzed on Trump's remarks about Putin.
'Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions.'
Previous swap: Marc Fogel was returned to the U.S. in February after over three years in a Russian prison
Lambasted: Trump recently called Putin 'crazy' on his Truth Social platform
Just a day later, Lavrov has now praised Trump as a 'man who wants results' in a major breakthrough for the hostile nations.
Trump previously faced a backlash for his remarks on Sunday about Putin, with critics saying he was naive for believing 'something has happened' to the Russian dictator.
He said he believes Putin 'wants all of Ukraine, not just a piece of it,' after some observers said it appeared Trump wanted Ukraine to give up its recently lost territory in exchange for peace.
Trump added at the time: 'This is a war that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelensky's, Putin's, and Biden's War, not Trump's.
'I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through gross incompetence and hatred.'
Despite his very blunt words for Putin, Trump also included a caveat that Ukraine is not completely absolved of fault for the devastating war.
'Likewise, President Zelensky is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does,' he said, reigniting the tension between the two leaders.
'Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop.'
Trump's harsh words for Zelensky came after the two leaders had an extraordinary argument in the Oval office earlier this year in front of the world's press.
That spat appeared to be smoothed over in recent weeks as the U.S. and Ukraine reached a landmark critical minerals deal.
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