Russia and the United States have discussed the possibility of conducting another prisoner exchange, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev told Axios in an interview published on Tuesday.
“I met some US officials and members of the Trump team on some issues that are humanitarian in nature, such as possible exchanges of prisoners that the US side has been working on,” Axios quoted Dmitriev as saying.
A US official confirmed his statement and said the US side was receptive, but cautioned that nothing was imminent, Axios said.
President Donald Trump’s administration earlier this year secured the release of Marc Fogel, a US schoolteacher and former employee of the US embassy in Moscow, and Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina.
In August 2024, the US and Russia carried out their biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War, with 24 prisoners gaining their freedom, including US journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-US Marine Paul Whelan.
Dmitriev discussed the idea of the latest swap with US envoy Steve Witkoff and other administration officials, the Axios report added, citing a source.
Russia hopes a new prisoner exchange with the US will show goodwill and create more trust between the countries, the report said adding that neither Dmitriev nor the US official said which prisoners on either side could be involved in an exchange.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
By James Kisoo
