In a major diplomatic development, Russia has released Marc Fogel, an American teacher, which the White House described as a diplomatic thaw that can potentially advance negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, left Russia with Fogel and landed back in the US at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday night, the White House said.
Fogel was arrested in 2021
Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was arrested in August 2021 and was serving a 14-year prison sentence. His family said that Fogel was carrying medically prescribed marijuana. Joe Biden's administration had designated him as wrongfully detained by Russia.
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz said that the release of Marc Fogel can be seen as “a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine." However, there was no immediate comment from the Russian side regarding his release.
Earlier, Trump, who claimed that he had a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, had promised that he would find a way to end the conflict. Trump said last month that he was having “very serious” conversations with Russia about the war.
We were treated very nicely by Russia: Trump on Fogel's release
On Tuesday, Trump told reporters, "We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that's the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war." When asked whether the US had given up anything in return, Trump replied, “not much”, but did not elaborate. In response to Fogel's return, his family said that they were "grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed.”
In August, Russia and the US 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.
Since Trump has announced that he will send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Kyiv for talks with Ukraine's leaders following Fogel's release, peace plans might begin to take shape.
(With inputs from AP)
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