WASHINGTON – Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher, has been released by Russia after more than three years in custody following an arrest for medical marijuana possession, as part of an agreement between Washington and Moscow that the US claims resulted from talks to end the war in Ukraine.
The White House announced Tuesday afternoon that Fogel, 63, was leaving Russian airspace with President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and would return to American soil by the end of the day. Trump later informed reporters that he would meet with Fogel at the White House around 10 p.m. ET.
In an announcement of Fogel’s release, White House national security advisor Michael Waltz said the president’s advisers “negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.”
As he took questions in the Oval Office following the signing of an executive order, Trump declined to reveal what the United States offered Russia in exchange for the release of the American citizen.
“Not much,” Trump answered. “No. They were extremely nice. We were treated very well by Russia, and I hope that marks the beginning of a relationship in which we can end the war and stop killing millions of people….”We must put an end to that war.”
Trump’s administration has been actively working on a plan to end the conflict, with the president initially indicating that he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin before withdrawing as his administration worked to keep the discussions private. Trump has avoided questions about whether he has spoken directly with Putin since taking office. He had previously threatened to impose sanctions if Putin did not enter into peace talks.
Fogel has been in Russian custody since his arrest in Moscow in August 2021, when he entered the country for a teaching assignment while in possession of marijuana, which his family claims was prescribed to him by a doctor to treat chronic pain. He was sentenced in 2022 to 14 years in a Russian penal colony.
During the Biden administration, the State Department determined in December that Fogel was wrongfully detained by Russia in connection with his drug smuggling conviction. Fogel’s family requested the designation, which required the US government to work toward his release.
“We are beyond grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed that after more than three years of detention, our father, husband, and son, Marc Fogel, is finally coming home,” Fogel’s wife Jane and two sons, Ethan and Sam, stated on Tuesday. “Thanks to the unwavering leadership of President Trump, Marc will soon be back on American soil, free where he belongs.”
The family said in a statement shared by Fogel’s lawyers, “This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal.”
It was not immediately clear when or where Fogel would land. Fogel is from Butler, Pennsylvania, and resides in the Pittsburgh area.
His mother, Malphine, told Fox News that she spoke with her son over the phone earlier that day while he was at the Moscow airport. “It was just a total shock,” she said. “It’s just an unbelievable situation.”
Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Democrat who represents the Pittsburgh suburbs, said he learned about the release shortly after it was made public and was unaware of the terms of the Trump administration’s agreement with Russia.
But Deluzio said in a call with reporters, “The fact of the matter is, he’s finally coming home, and I’ll commend anyone who worked with me and so many others, up to and including the highest levels of our government, to bring Marc home. And I believe there’s a lesson here: people should expect their government to always fight for them.”
Deluzio was part of a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers who wrote to the Trump administration in January, urging them to prioritize Fogel’s release. They expressed disappointment that he was not released alongside Americans Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, and Alsu Kurmasheva as part of an August prisoner swap. Fogel was also left out of the December 2022 prisoner swap that resulted in the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., who also signed the letter, thanked Trump and Witkoff for securing Fogel’s release in a statement issued on Tuesday. “Marc Fogel’s return home is long overdue—and I know all of Pennsylvania, especially his family, will be welcoming him back with open arms,” said Fetterman.
The White House did not immediately provide additional information on what went into the release, which came as US officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, prepared to meet with European leaders at the Munich Security Conference to discuss the war, which is approaching its third anniversary.
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, was also expected to visit Ukraine this week, and the president announced on Monday that he would soon speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Trump administration has stated that it wants to see the war end before the second-term president reaches 100 days in office in April, or within the first six months of the year.
“Europeans must take responsibility for this conflict moving forward. “President Trump will put an end to it,” Waltz said on “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “And then in terms of security guarantees, that is squarely going to be with the Europeans.”
