Lara Trump is speaking out against what she calls an “insane” decision by Russia, just days before President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The wife of Eric Trump, who hosts the Fox News program My View with Lara Trump, sat down on Saturday with 32-year-old ballerina Ksenia Karelina. The dancer spent more than a year imprisoned in Russia and is now free to share her story.
During the interview, Lara Trump pressed Karelina about how her family in Russia has been coping since her arrest and imprisonment, especially given the political climate under President Vladimir Putin’s leadership.
“Tell me about your family in Russia at this time. I imagine for them to Russian citizens, solely Russian citizens, and to know that their loved one had been imprisoned for something that, I think the rest of the world sees this and thinks, ‘That’s insane, that’s crazy,’” Lara Trump said.
“That must be very hard for them to deal with, but can they even be honest about what they think of it under this current leadership in Russia?” she added. Karelina responded with grace, saying that her family has chosen to focus on love and mutual support despite the political pressures and what they cannot change.
“My parents are patriots, as I’ve always been,” she explained. “It was hard for them to understand that something that they love can hurt someone they love.” She continued, “What we all focused on, we all focused on us now. Just being tight, us supporting each other, us bringing love more than ever to each other.”
Karelina’s ordeal began after she made a small donation to support Ukraine, which Russian authorities deemed an act of treason. She was sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp — a punishment many in the West condemned as politically motivated and deeply unjust. According to PBS News, she was released in May as part of a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia. The deal involved trading her for a Russian national being held in the United States.
The timing of Lara Trump’s interview is significant. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Putin next Friday in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine — a meeting that will take place before any discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelensky says Ukraine will not give up land as Trump plans to meet Putin in Alaska next week.
Do you stand with Zelensky? Yes or No pic.twitter.com/VeLBxPKwZ0
— A (@bluhue123) August 9, 2025
Trump has expressed frustration with Putin in recent weeks over the ongoing conflict, signaling his desire for an end to the fighting. Still, his decision to meet with the Russian leader first, even if Putin refuses to meet with Zelenskyy, has sparked concern among European allies. Some fear that such an approach could sideline Ukraine in negotiations, potentially weakening its position in the largest conflict Europe has seen since World War II, the Associated Press reported.
