Russia has released a US citizen from prison following the first known visit by a member of President Donald Trump’s administration to the country, a development the White House described as a hopeful sign for resolving the Ukraine conflict.
The White House announced that Mr. Trump facilitated the release of Marc Fogel, who has been imprisoned since 2021 on drug-related charges, as part of an “exchange,” although no further details were provided.
According to the White House, Mr. Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, conducted discussions and was in the process of “leaving Russian airspace” with Mr. Fogel.
Adam Boehler, the US envoy responsible for hostage affairs, later shared a photograph of Mr. Fogel that appeared to show him enjoying a strong drink on a plane, with his other hand holding both his passport and a plate of food.
Donald Trump took office vowing to end the war in Ukraine
Russia had no immediate response, with state-run news agencies citing the announcement from the White House.
In December, Russia’s Supreme Court declined to review an appeal made by Mr. Fogel against his 14-year sentence.
Mr. Witkoff, who previously played a vital role in advancing a tenuous Israel-Hamas ceasefire, is the first senior US official known to have visited Russia in recent years.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, former President Joe Biden limited most communications, even though intelligence leaders and others continued to meet discreetly in third-party countries.
The announcement regarding Mr. Fogel’s release came just hours after the US President confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s visit to Ukraine—another cabinet member on a mission distinct from his primary duties.
The Treasury Secretary is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is also scheduled to speak with US Vice President JD Vance on Friday at the Munich Security Conference.
Upon taking office, Mr. Trump pledged to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, potentially by leveraging billions of dollars in US aid sent under Mr. Biden’s administration to compel Kyiv into making territorial concessions.
In a Fox News interview, the US President suggested that Ukraine “may someday become part of Russia,” a statement that was warmly welcomed by Russian officials.
“The reality that a significant portion of Ukraine desires to be part of Russia, and already has, is undeniable,” stated Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in reference to Russia’s 2022 annexation of four Ukrainian regions following referendums that faced widespread international condemnation as fraudulent.
Mr. Trump has previously expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and notably supported the latter’s denial of the US intelligence community’s findings concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election.
However, in recent weeks, Mr. Trump has also urged Russia to find a middle ground, suggesting that the Russian leader should address heavy losses in terms of personnel and finances.
Both Ukrainian and Russian forces are striving to gain an upper hand on the battlefield ahead of potential negotiations.
Russia’s defense ministry reported that its troops had taken control of the small village of Yasenove in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
In the meantime, both sides engaged in long-range strikes against each other’s energy infrastructure. According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Ukrainian forces targeted an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region, resulting in a fire.
In the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, regional prosecutors reported that Russian shelling killed a 40-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman that afternoon.
Considered wrongfully detained
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, photographed awaiting his verdict in Moscow in June 2020
Despite his decision to avoid engaging with Mr. Putin since the invasion, President Biden negotiated through aides to facilitate swaps that freed several high-profile Americans imprisoned in Russia, including basketball player Britney Griner, journalist Evan Gershkovich, and former Marine Paul Whelan.
Among those exchanged in return were Viktor Bout, an arms dealer who was convicted of trafficking weapons globally until his arrest in Thailand in 2008.
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Mr. Fogel, aged 63, was teaching at the Anglo-American School in Russia when he was arrested in August 2021 for possessing 21 grams of cannabis and cannabis oil alleged to have been found on him at a Moscow airport.
A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Fogel had been teaching English internationally for over 25 years and had resided in Russia since 2012.
Reports indicated that he had been instructing English to fellow inmates at his penal colony.
His family expressed disappointment that he was not included in previous prisoner swaps.
Jake Sullivan, national security advisor under Mr. Biden, remarked in August for the first time that the United States deemed him “wrongfully detained.”
