Putin and Trump negotiate new prisoner exchange deal

Ushakov revealed that during the conversation between Putin and Trump, which lasted just over two hours, the topic of Ukraine was discussed "very thoroughly and with interesting nuances."

"Trump expressed that he sees Russia as one of the key trade and economic partners of the United States after reaching an agreement on Ukraine," Ushakov stated.

Trump told Putin that he could call him at any time, added the advisor to the Russian leader.

The last exchange took place in April 2025, when Ksenia Karelina, a citizen of both the USA and Russia, was released by Russia. She had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for donating to a Ukrainian charity organization in the USA. In return, the USA freed Arthur Petrov, a citizen of Germany and Russia, who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 for attempting to export sensitive microelectronics.

Meanwhile, the largest and most historical exchange occurred in August 2024. Seven countries were involved in the operation, and the exchange concerned 26 prisoners.

The exchange between Russia and the West involving 26 prisoners serving sentences in seven countries was the largest such operation since the Cold War. Poland also participated, but Andrew Poczobut was not among those released.

"It's a more complex issue directly between Lukashenko and our country," said Marcin Faliński, a former officer of the Intelligence Agency, in an interview with WP.

On Monday, Vladimir Putin spoke for two hours with Donald Trump. He said the conversation was sincere and substantive. He emphasized that issues of a ceasefire and principles for conflict resolution might be included in the Russia-Ukraine memorandum.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump stated that "Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin negotiations."