WASHINGTON, April 10. /TASS/. The United States believes that no dynamics in relations with Russia should be expected without the establishment of a ceasefire in Ukraine, State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.
"I think that [US] President [Donald Trump] has been very clear that there is one thing on the table with Russia, which is the ceasefire, [and] that there is no other dynamic that is going to be addressed or facilitated until that is dealt with," the diplomat said.
According to her, US President Donald Trump "is the first [American politician] to engage with Russia for years." Bruce emphasized that interaction is necessary to achieve any result, whether it is "stopping wars or getting people released from being unjustly held." The spokeswoman added that the results of this work by the Trump administration can be seen "every day," including the exchange of Russian citizen Artur Petrov for US citizen and Russian national Ksenia Karelina.
The Russian Federal Security Service’s Center for Public Relations reported that Russian citizen Artur Petrov was returned to his home country on April 10 at Abu Dhabi International Airport through the UAE mediation. He had been detained in Cyprus at the request of US law enforcement officials and extradited to the United States, where he was charged with violating export control laws. He faced up to 20 years in prison. Petrov was exchanged for US citizen Ksenia Karelina, who also holds Russian citizenship and was sentenced to 12 years for treason.
This is the second prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States in 2025. In February, Russia released American citizen Marc Fogel, who had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug smuggling. In return, the United States released Alexander Vinnik, the founder of the BTC-e crypto exchange, who had been charged with money laundering.