The United States thanked the United Arab Emirates for facilitating the prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow. The UAE Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it had successfully hosted the exchange with the presence of American and Russian representatives.

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a press briefing: "We are pleased to announce that American citizen Ksenia Karelina is on her way back to the United States." She added, "Ksenia had been detained in Russia for over a year and will soon be reunited with her loved ones." Bruce expressed gratitude to the UAE government for its support, which made the exchange possible.

She further stated, "At President Trump’s direction, his team engaged with Russia on Ksenia’s case. Secretary of State Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler mobilized their teams to secure her return."

Bruce affirmed that the U.S. president and secretary of state "will continue working to secure the release of all detained Americans."

Karelina was released as part of a prisoner swap mediated by the UAE. In exchange, the U.S. freed Russian citizen Artur Petrov, who was arrested in Cyprus in August 2023 at the request of U.S. authorities on charges of smuggling sensitive electronic equipment to Russia. He was later extradited to the U.S. and held for a year before being handed over to Russian authorities.

Karelina’s release marks the latest in a series of high-profile prisoner exchanges between Russia and the U.S. over the past three years—the second since Trump took office.

Earlier today, the UAE Foreign Ministry announced that it had successfully hosted the prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia, with representatives from both countries in attendance.

In a statement, the ministry thanked the governments of the U.S. and Russia for their trust in the UAE and for choosing Abu Dhabi as the location to carry out the swap of a Russian and an American citizen, coordinated between Washington and Moscow.

The ministry stated that the selection of Abu Dhabi for the exchange reflects "the strong friendly relations both countries share with the UAE."