U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reportedly agreed to a prisoner swap, just days after Trump publicly described Putin as “crazy.”
The deal was disclosed on Tuesday, May 27 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a diplomatic event in Turkey. Lavrov described Trump as “a man who wants results,” while revealing that the agreement was reached amid broader negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. He also accused European nations of attempting to sabotage those peace efforts.
While details of the exchange remain undisclosed, the U.S. State Department has yet to confirm which prisoners are involved in the deal. However, sources told the Kyiv Post that Trump is seriously considering lifting restrictions on how Ukraine uses American-supplied weapons against Russian targets.
The revelation comes just days after Trump announced a major prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, reportedly involving up to 1,000 detainees on each side. Trump hinted on Truth Social that the exchange “could lead to something big,” though he did not elaborate further.
If the latest agreement between the U.S. and Russia proceeds, it would mark the first such swap since American teacher Marc Fogel was released in February after spending over three years in a Russian prison.
Several Americans are currently detained in Russia and may be included in the swap. These include 72-year-old Stephen Hubbard, sentenced to nearly seven years for allegedly fighting for Ukraine, and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Gordon Black, 35, who was arrested in May 2024 on what U.S. officials have called questionable theft charges.
The agreement follows a weekend of high-stakes diplomacy. On Saturday, Trump said he was “absolutely” considering new sanctions on Russia. A day later, he launched a sharp verbal attack on Putin, accusing him of escalating violence in Ukraine and warning that the war could result in “the downfall of Russia.”
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “But something has happened to him.”
The Kremlin initially responded to Trump’s remarks by suggesting he was experiencing “emotional overload” due to the weight of brokering global peace efforts. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov nonetheless thanked the former U.S. president for helping facilitate the negotiation process.
“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process,” Peskov said.
Lavrov’s Tuesday remarks mark a potential turning point in U.S.–Russia relations. While tensions remain high, the willingness to engage in prisoner exchanges suggests both sides may be exploring back-channel diplomacy.
Despite his harsh critique of Putin, Trump also expressed frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He claimed Zelenskyy’s rhetoric was unhelpful and inflammatory.
“Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop,” Trump said, adding that the war “would never have started if I were president.” He called the conflict “Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s war—not Trump’s,” claiming his current efforts are focused on extinguishing the flames of a crisis he believes was caused by “gross incompetence and hatred.”
