Russia has released American history teacher Marc Fogel, who had been deemed wrongfully detained, in what the White House described as a significant diplomatic breakthrough that could aid negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for President Donald Trump, accompanied Fogel back to the United States, where he was greeted by Trump at the White House.
“I feel like the luckiest man on Earth right now,” Fogel said, draped in an American flag as he stood alongside the president.
Fogel, a Pennsylvania native, was expected to reunite with his family later Tuesday. He expressed gratitude to Trump, who hinted at another American’s imminent release but declined to disclose further details.
The White House did not confirm whether Trump had direct discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding Fogel’s release, though Fogel described Putin as “very generous and statesmanlike” in granting him a pardon.
Asked about the terms of the agreement, Trump described it as “very fair” but did not specify what the U.S. offered in exchange for Fogel’s freedom. National security adviser Michael Waltz confirmed that the U.S. and Russia negotiated an exchange but did not disclose specifics.
Fogel was arrested in August 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in prison for carrying medically prescribed marijuana. The Biden administration had officially classified him as wrongfully detained in December of that year.
Trump, who has pledged to broker a resolution to the war in Ukraine, suggested that Fogel’s release could be part of a broader shift in U.S.-Russia relations.
“We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually,” Trump told reporters. “I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war.”
The president announced that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would travel to Kyiv for discussions with Ukrainian leaders, a move seen as an initial step toward potential peace talks. Additionally, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, are scheduled to attend the Munich Security Conference later this week, where Ukraine will be a key topic.
Kellogg told The Associated Press that the delegation would discuss Trump’s vision for resolving the war with European allies. “We will deliver our expectation to the allies,” Kellogg said. “When we come back from Munich, we want to deliver to the president the options, so when he does get directly involved in the peace process, he knows what it will look like.”
While Fogel’s release marks a major development, several other Americans remain imprisoned in Russia. Notably, U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Khavana, convicted of treason for donating $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine, is serving a 12-year sentence.
Additionally, American Robert Gilman was sentenced to more than seven years for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers, while Stephen Hubbard remains imprisoned after a closed trial for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.
Last August, a major prisoner swap between the U.S., Russia, and other nations led to the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and American corporate security executive Paul Whelan. However, Fogel and several others were not included in that exchange.
