The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed concerns that recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump would impact ongoing negotiations for a prisoner swap between Washington and Moscow.
Trump had described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “crazy” over the weekend, following Russia’s most intense drone assault on Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Despite the comment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the exchange plan — which both leaders discussed during a recent phone call — remains on track.
“It is clear that the Russian and American sides should not and cannot agree on everything. There will always be certain disagreements,” Peskov told journalists in Moscow. “But there is political will to implement the agreements that have been reached, and the work continues. We highly value this mutual willingness.”
The potential exchange would reportedly involve nine prisoners from each side, although no details have been disclosed regarding the individuals involved. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that the issue was discussed during a two-hour phone conversation between Trump and Putin last week.
This would mark another round of prisoner exchanges between the two countries since Trump returned to the White House in January. The Biden and Trump administrations have both accused Moscow of detaining U.S. citizens on politically motivated charges to leverage the release of Russian nationals imprisoned in the West.
Last month, a high-profile swap saw the release of Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen sentenced to 12 years in a Russian prison for treason after donating approximately $50 to a Ukrainian charity. In return, the United States released Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian national accused of violating U.S. sanctions by attempting to export American-made electronics to Russian defense firms.
While the diplomatic climate remains tense over the war in Ukraine and ongoing sanctions, Kremlin officials say they are committed to continuing negotiations on humanitarian grounds.
