President Donald Trump appeared delighted by a ballerina whom he helped free from a Russian prison in the pair's first meeting. 

Video posted online shows the commander-in-chief shaking hands with Ksenia Karelina inside the Oval Office on Monday, just weeks after the 33-year-old returned to American soil.

As she offered her thanks, the president could be heard telling the dancer: 'Congratulations. That's very nice, that's a great honor.' 

He then joked with her family and her fiancée, professional boxer Chris van Heerden, that he now understands why they fought so hard for her return.

Turning his attention back to Karelina, Trump asked her how long she was left languishing in the Russian prison - to which she replies 15 months.