US hails prisoner release ‘move in right direction’ to end war in Ukraine
Teacher Marc Fogel was greeted at the White House by President Donald Trump after his release from a Russian prison.
American teacher Marc Fogel, who was deemed wrongfully detained by Russia, has been greeted by President Donald Trump after being released and returned to the US.
The president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff flew back to the US with the history teacher from Pennsylvania, bringing him to the White House which described his return as a diplomatic thaw that could advance negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
“I feel like the luckiest man on Earth right now,” Mr Fogel said as he stood next to Mr Trump with an American flag draped around his shoulders.
Mr Fogel, who was expected to be reunited with his family by the end of the day, said he would forever be indebted to the president.
Mr Trump said another American would be released on Wednesday, although he declined to name the person or say what country, only saying it was someone “very special”.
Mr Fogel was arrested in August 2021 and was serving a 14-year prison sentence. His family and supporters said he had been traveling with medically prescribed marijuana and he was designated by former president Joe Biden’s administration as wrongfully detained in December.
National security adviser Michael Waltz said the US and Russia “negotiated an exchange” to ensure his release. He did not say what the US side of the bargain entailed. Previous negotiations have occasionally involved reciprocal releases of Russians by the US or its allies.
Mr Waltz said the development was “a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine”.
Mr Trump has talked about having a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last month, Mr Trump said his administration was having “very serious” conversations with Russia about the war.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, he said: “We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war.”
Asked whether the US had given up anything in return, Mr Trump replied “not much” but did not elaborate.
Mr Fogel’s relatives said they were “beyond grateful, relieved and overwhelmed” that he was coming home.
“This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal,” they said. “For the first time in years, our family can look forward to the future with hope.”
There was no immediate comment from Moscow about Mr Fogel’s release on Tuesday.
The US, Russia and other nations carried out a large prisoner swap in August that resulted in the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and American corporate security executive Paul Whelan, among others.
But that deal left out numerous other Americans jailed in Russia, including Mr Fogel. Some omitted then were also not included in Tuesday’s release, including several who have had major milestones in their cases since then.
Among them is US-Russian dual national Ksenia Khavana, who was convicted of treason in a Russian court shortly after last August’s prisoner swap and sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges stemming from a donation of about 52 dollars (£42) to a charity aiding Ukraine.
John Kirby, a national security spokesman at the Biden White House at that time, called the conviction and sentencing “nothing less than vindictive cruelty”.
Last October, American Robert Gilman was sentenced to more than seven years in prison in Russia for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers while serving a sentence for another assault, while American Stephen Hubbard was sentenced to prison in a closed trial for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.
As the Russia-Ukraine war nears the end of its third year, Mr Trump’s plan for securing an end to the conflict remains unclear, although he has said that both sides will need to make concessions and suggested that Ukraine would have to accept the loss of at least some territory.
Mr Fogel’s release and the president’s announcement that he will send treasury secretary Scott Bessent to Kyiv for talks with Ukraine’s leaders could signal that plans may be beginning to take shape.
Vice President JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio and Mr Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, retired general Keith Kellogg, will attend this week’s Munich Security Conference, where the situation in Ukraine will be a major topic of discussion.
General Kellogg said on Monday they would be talking to European officials about the very broad outlines of what Mr Trump would like to see and gauging their interest.
