Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have agreed to a prisoner swap days after the US president branded his Russian counterpart ‘crazy.’
On Tuesday, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, disclosed the prisoner exchange, lauding Trump as ‘a man who seeks outcomes’ during a speaking engagement in Turkey.
Lavrov mentioned that the prisoner exchange was settled during discussions concerning the conclusion of the war in Ukraine, and he dramatically claimed that European countries were trying to ‘undermine’ the process.
Officials did not provide details on which prisoners are set to be exchanged.
Should the recent prisoner swap between the US and Russia proceed, it will mark the first since American educator Marc Fogel was sent back to the US in February after spending over three years incarcerated in Russia.
Tuesday’s breakthrough comes four days after Trump separately revealed that a ‘major prisoners swap’ had taken place between Russia and Ukraine, believed to involve up to 1,000 prisoners on each side.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform at the time that the massive exchange ‘could lead to something big’, but did not offer details on what he wanted for brokering the deal.
Amid negotiations to bring the Russian invasion of Ukraine to an end, Trump launched into a blistering attack on Putin on Sunday where he said the Russian leader has gone ‘absolutely crazy.’
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have agreed to a prisoner swap days after the US president branded his Russian counterpart ‘crazy’
The prisoner swap was revealed Tuesday by Russia ‘s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, who praised Trump as ‘a man who wants results’ as he spoke at an event in Turkey
Trump condemned the Russians for escalating their strikes on Ukraine while negotiations were ongoing, which he said was resulting in the ‘needless killing of a lot of people.’
In a chilling warning about the future of the former Soviet nation if the bloodshed continues, Trump said Putin’s war ‘will lead to the downfall of Russia.’
‘I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform at the time.
The Kremlin initially hit back as it suggested that Trump was suffering from the ’emotional overload’ of brokering major peace deals across the globe.
‘We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the Trump remarks about Putin.
‘Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions.’
Just a day later, Lavrov has now praised Trump as a ‘man who wants results’ in a major breakthrough for the hostile nations.
If the latest prisoner swap between the US and Russia goes ahead, it will be the first since American teacher Marc Fogel (pictured) was returned to the US in February after over three years in a Russian prison
It comes after Trump launched a scorched-earth attack on Vladimir Putin on Sunday, warning he has gone ‘absolutely crazy’ following his latest deadly attack on Ukraine
Trump previously faced backlash for his remarks on Sunday about Putin, with critics saying he was naive for believing ‘something has happened’ to the Russian dictator.
He said he believes Putin ‘wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it,’ after some observers said it appeared Trump wanted Ukraine to give up its recently lost territory in exchange for peace.
Trump added at the time: ‘This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s.’
‘I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.’
Despite his very blunt words for Putin, Trump also included a caveat that Ukraine is not completely absolved of fault for the devastating war.
‘Likewise, President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does,’ he said, reigniting the tension between the two leaders.
‘Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop.’
Trump’s harsh words for Zelensky came as the two world leaders have had a complicated recent relationship, notably including an extraordinary argument in the Oval office earlier this year in front of the world’s press
Trump’s harsh words for Zelensky came as the two world leaders have had a complicated recent relationship, notably including an extraordinary argument in the Oval office earlier this year in front of the world’s press.
That spat appeared to be smoothed over in recent weeks as the US and Ukraine reached a landmark critical minerals deal.
