Washington DC - President Donald Trump recently met with the American ballerina whose return he helped facilitate while she was being wrongfully held in a Russian prison.

On Monday, Ksenia Karelina (34) visited the president in the Oval Office of the White House and thanked him for his help.

Trump told Karelina it was an "honor" to meet her, and after thoroughly assessing her looks, he told her boyfriend, "Now I know why you fought so hard to get her out of there!"

Karelina was born in Russia, immigrated to the US over 10 years ago, and obtained her US citizenship while living in California in 2021.

Donald Trump Trump suffers major defeat in effort to rescind refugees rights as judge slams "jiggerypokery"

On February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, Karelina, who was in the country visiting family, was arrested by Russian officials for donating $51 to a charity in support of the opposition.

By August, she was sentenced to 12 years in prison for "high treason."

Last month, Karelina was finally freed after the US and Russia agreed to a prisoner exchange, trading her for Arthur Petrov, who was caught allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.

Trump's adamance on getting Karelina back comes as he has led an aggressive campaign to deport US immigrants, specifically from South America, to prisons in foreign countries without due process.