The former Russian-American ballerina, liberated by Moscow, returned to the US late Thursday as part of a prisoner swap completed as the two countries continued to repair their bonds.
She was released earlier that day in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a Russian citizen. Arthur Petrov was jailed in the United States for electronic smuggling fees.
Karelina was arrested in the city of Yekaterinberg, Russia last February and was convicted of treason on charges arising from a donation of about 47 euros to a charity supporting Ukraine.
“They released a young ballerina and she’s out now, and it was good, so we’re grateful for that,” US President Donald Trump told the cabinet meeting on Thursday.
The release followed a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump added.
The FSB, who said Putin had forgiven Karelina before the swap, has released a video showing her being escorted by an airplane somewhere in Russia.
The footage then featured what appeared to be a scene of an exchange at Abu Dhabi Airport.
Karelina was one of many Americans arrested in Russia in recent years as tensions between Moscow and Washington surged the Kremlin’s full-scale war in Ukraine.
Her release is the latest in a series of famous prisoner exchanges that Russia and the United States have carried out over the past three years, and the second after Trump took office and overturned Washington’s policy of segregating Russia in his fourth year to end Ukraine’s ongoing full-scale invasion.
“This exchange demonstrates the importance of keeping the lines of communication open with Russia despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship,” the CIA said.
“President Trump and his administration continue to work around the clock to ensure that Americans detained abroad return to their families,” White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said in X.
Meanwhile, Russian and US diplomats met for a second consultation in Istanbul following their first meeting in February for a second consultation on the normalization of the embassy’s work.
The US State Department said the delegation “exchanged notes to confirm understanding to ensure the stability of diplomatic banks on the bilateral missions of Russia and the US.”
The US said it had repeated concerns about Russia’s ban on the employment of local staff.
