Russia releases imprisoned American Marc Fogel in what U.S. calls a step toward the end of Ukraine war

Ellen Keelan, center, and other family members rally outside the White House for the release of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021, July 15, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File) (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)

WASHINGTON — Marc Fogel, an American history teacher who was deemed wrongfully detained by Russia, has been released and returned to the U.S. in what the White House described as a diplomatic thaw that could advance negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Wednesday that a Russian citizen was freed in the United States in exchange for Moscow’s release of American Marc Fogel, but it refused to identify him until he arrives in Russia “in the coming days.”

Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for President Donald Trump, left Russia with Fogel and brought him to the White House late Tuesday, and Trump welcomed him home.

“I feel like the luckiest man on Earth right now,” Fogel said as he stood next to Trump with an American flag draped around his shoulders.

Fogel, who is from Pennsylvania and was expected to be reunited with his family by the end of the day, said he would forever be indebted to Trump.

Trump said another American would be released on Wednesday, though he declined to name the person or say from what country, only saying it was someone “very special.”

The president declined to say if he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Fogel, but Fogel praised the Russian leader as “very generous and statesmanlike in granting me a pardon.”

Asked about the terms of the deal, Trump said: “Very fair, very, very fair, very reasonable. Not like deals you’ve seen over the years. They were very fair.”

He did not say what the United States exchanged for Fogel’s release.

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 President Joe Biden’s administration as wrongfully detained in December.

Michael Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, said the U.S. and Russia “negotiated an exchange” to ensure Fogel’s release. He did not say what the U.S. side of the bargain entailed. Previous negotiations have occasionally involved reciprocal releases of Russians by the U.S. or its allies.

Waltz said the development was “a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.” Trump, a Republican, has promised to find a way to end the conflict.

Trump also has talked about having a good relationship with Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last month, Trump said his administration was having “very serious” conversations with Russia about the war.

Speaking to reporters at the White House earlier Tuesday, Trump 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 U.S. had given up anything in return, Trump replied “not much” but did not elaborate.

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.”

The U.S., 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 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 U.S.-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 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, Trump’s plan for securing an end to the conflict remains unclear, though 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.

Fogel’s release and Trump’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 Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, will all be traveling later this week to the Munich Security Conference, where the situation in Ukraine will be a major topic of discussion.

Kellogg told The Associated Press on Monday that he and the others would be talking to European officials about the very broad outlines of what Trump would like to see and gauging their interest.

“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 for him.”

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By Chris Megerian And Eric Tucker

Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Michelle L. Price and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington.