Scoop: U.S. and Russia discussing prisoner swap
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Kirill Dmitriev and Steve Witkoff in Saint Petersburg on April 11, 2025. Photo: Vyacheslav Rokofeyev/Pool via Getty
Russia and the U.S. have discussed the possibility of conducting another prisoner exchange, Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev told Axios in an interview.
- A U.S. official confirmed that and said the U.S. side was receptive, but cautioned that nothing was imminent.
Why it matters: At least eight Americans are in Russian prisons. Bringing detained Americans home is a priority for President Trump, and a swap could help as the Kremlin seeks to improve relations with his administration despite tensions over Ukraine.
- Russia hopes a new prisoner exchange with the U.S. will show goodwill and create more trust between the countries, a source with knowledge of the issue said.
Behind the scenes: The potential prisoner swap was one of the issues on the agenda during an Oct. 24-26 visit to the U.S. by Dmitriev, who runs Russia's sovereign wealth fund and has also played a prominent role in diplomacy over Ukraine.
- "I met some U.S. officials and members of the Trump team on some issues that are humanitarian in nature, such as possible exchanges of prisoners that the U.S. side has been working on," Dmitriev told Axios in a phone interview on Monday.
- A source with knowledge said Dmitriev discussed the idea with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and other administration officials.
- A U.S. official said the discussions were positive but no agreements had been reached. "The U.S. will welcome the release of any detained American," the U.S. official said.
State of play: Neither Dmitriev nor the U.S. official said which prisoners on either side could be involved in an exchange.
- Americans Marc Fogel and Ksenia Karelina were released by Russia in prisoner exchanges earlier this year.
- Other prominent American prisoners involved in recent prisoner swaps include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan and basketball star Brittney Griner.
Earlier this year, the U.S. side gave the Russians a list of nine Americans they wanted returned to the U.S., Reuters reported. Eight still appear to be in Russian custody:
- Stephen James Hubbard, 73, who was captured in Ukraine in 2022 and accused of serving as a mercenary. His family denies that and the U.S. State Department considers him "wrongfully detained."
- David Barnes, who was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 2024 on charges of abusing his two sons while living in the U.S., allegations for which he was investigated but not charged in Texas and which were made during a custody dispute with his ex-wife.
- Robert Gilman, an ex-Marine who was convicted of assaulting a police officer in 2022 and has since faced additional charges.
- Eugene Spector, who faces 15 years in prison on bribery and espionage charges.
- Michael Travis Leake and Robert Romanov Woodland, both of whom were convicted on drug charges.
- Daniel Joseph Schneider was convicted of kidnapping his own son, a Russian citizen, and trying to take him out of the country.
- Gordon Black, an American soldier who traveled to Russia while on leave from his base in South Korea to see his Russian girlfriend. He was convicted of stealing and making murder threats.
Worth noting: That's not necessarily a comprehensive list of Americans held in Russia, and Axios has not confirmed whether these or other individuals were specifically raised in the U.S.-Russia talks.
