President Trump on Monday met in the Oval Office with an American ballerina who was released from a Russian prison earlier this year as part of an exchange.
Trump spoke with Ksenia Karelina, a U.S.-Russian dual national who was detained last year on treason charges. The White House posted footage of the meeting, which was not opened up to members of the press.
“Congratulations. That’s very nice. That’s a great honor,” Trump can be heard telling Karelina. The president also asks how long Karelina was in prison.
Karelina, a former ballet dancer, was arrested in February 2024 in Yekaterinburg and found guilty by a Russian court in August of treason for donating just north of $50 to a U.S.-based Ukrainian charity. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Karelina was released in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian-German national.
The State Department previously determined Karelina, also known by the surname Khavana, was wrongfully detained. She was arrested after going back to Russia to visit her family.
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