Trump and Putin Agree to Negotiations on Ukraine War After Prisoner Swap

President Donald Trump stated he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to begin negotiations on ending the Ukraine war. Trump disclosed in a social media post on Wednesday that a call between the two leaders included plans to "work together, very closely." This followed a prisoner swap where Russia released American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, of Pennsylvania, after over three years of detention. Alexander Vinnik, a convicted Russian criminal, was freed by the U.S. as part of the swap. Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges and was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is currently in custody in California awaiting transport to return to Russia. The Kremlin confirmed Wednesday that a Russian citizen was freed in the United States in exchange for Fogel but did not identify him until his arrival in Russia. Trump welcomed Fogel at the White House Tuesday evening. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the released Russian citizen would return to Russia "in the coming days." Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied Fogel back to the U.S.