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On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry of UAE made a significant announcement about the country’s mediation efforts facilitating a Russia-US prisoner exchange. One Russian citizen and one US citizen are part of the exchange process.
The major exchange happened in the UAE capital. The Ministry has thanked both Russia and the US for placing confidence in the UAE and for designating the Gulf state as the location for the major prisoner exchange.
The Foreign Ministry also noted in a statement that choosing the UAE as the location for the exchange process reflects the close bilateral relationship the Emirates enjoys. This deal is expected to help de-escalate tensions in the region.
Major Russia-US prisoner exchange mediated by UAE
In the past string of months, the UAE has mediated at least 13 Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchanges. In the latest deal, 150 people returned to Russia and 150 hours returned home back in Ukraine. This deal made global headlines for all the right reasons.
In the latest prisoner exchange process involving Russia and the US, ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a resident of California, is returning. She had been in prison for more than a year after being found guilty of treason for donating money to a charity providing support to Ukraine.
In exchange, the US side has reportedly freed a dual German-Russian citizen, Arthur Petrov, arrested in Cyprus in 2023. He had been accused of illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia, according to a report in BBC.
