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Russia's top diplomat hails US-Russia prisoner swaps amid reports of Trump envoy visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that prisoner swaps between Russia and the U.S. helped to cement trust between the two countries at a time when they are trying to rebuild their ties. A Russian-American spa-worker Ksenia Karelina, who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia, was exchanged on Thursday for Arthur Petrov, whom the U.S. had accused of forming a global smuggling ring to spirit sensitive electronics to Russia's military. On Friday, Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the trip and FlightRadar data, that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff had travelled to Russia and was expected to meet President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that prisoner swaps between Russia and the U.S. helped to cement trust between the two countries at a time when they are trying to rebuild their ties.

A Russian-American spa-worker Ksenia Karelina, who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia, was exchanged on Thursday for Arthur Petrov, whom the U.S. had accused of forming a global smuggling ring to spirit sensitive electronics to Russia's military.

On Friday, Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the trip and FlightRadar data, that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff had travelled to Russia and was expected to meet President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

There was no Kremlin confirmation of his visit, although Russian state media reported that a plane of the same type used by Witkoff had landed in St Petersburg on Friday morning. (Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Anastasia Teterevleva; Editing by Andrew Osborn).