The Kremlin has agreed with President Donald Trump over a prisoner exchange following his rant about Russia and Putin
The Kremlin has agreed to a prisoner exchange just days after President Donald Trump went on rant about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has praised Trump as a ‘man who wants results’, after announcing that Russia has come to an agreement to exchange its prisoners with the country.
Lavrov announced the move today (Tuesday, May 27) and said the prisoner swap was agreed upon amid negotiations for peace with the ongoing conflict with its neighbors, Ukraine.
Just yesterday, the US president took to Truth Social to rant about his Russian counterpart, accusing Putin of having gone ‘absolutely crazy.’
He wrote: “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!”
He added: “He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.
“I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
The Kremlin initially responded to the rant by saying Trump was suffering from an ’emotional overload’ in trying to negotiate peace deals.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process.
“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.”
Now, it appears Moscow has changed its tune, praising the POTUS as a ‘man who wants results’ while accusing other nations of attempting to ‘sabotage’ his efforts.
It also comes as Trump separately announced days ago that a ‘major prisoners swap’ had already happened between Russia and Ukraine, reportedly involving 1,000 prisoners from each side.
He hailed the move as a potential inch towards peace, writing on his platform that it could ‘lead to something big.’
According to the BBC, both Russia and Ukraine handed over 390 soldiers and citizens, with more swaps expected to be happening in the next few days.
If the latest agreement to a swap between the US and Russia goes ahead, some Americans pent up in Russian jails could also be freed, such as 72-year-old Stephen Hubbard, who was sentenced last year to almost seven years for allegedly supporting Ukraine in the war effort.
Gordon Black, a 35-year-old soldier and US staff sergeant has also been imprisoned in Russia following his arrest in May last year on alleged theft charges.
In February, American teacher Marc Fogel was allowed to return home after spending more than three years incarcerated in Russia.
