American schoolteacher Marc Fogel has returned to the US after being freed from a Russian prison. Former US President Donald Trump welcomed Fogel and said Russian President Vladimir Putin received “not much” in exchange for Fogel’s release, reported news website BBC.
Trump also hinted that another detainee would be freed on Wednesday but did not disclose their identity. Fogel, a 63-year-old former diplomat, arrived at Joint Base Andrews near Washington, DC, late on Tuesday before heading to the White House.
WATCH IN FULL: Marc Fogel — an American freed after being wrongfully detained in Russia since 2021 — arrives at the White House. pic.twitter.com/noVVKUXZ5R
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 12, 2025
According to US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Fogel’s release was secured through negotiations with Russia, though Kremlin authorities have not made any official statements regarding the matter.
Standing beside Fogel at the White House, Trump remarked, “To me, he looks damned good.” He described the release as a “show of good faith” from Russia and suggested it could be a step toward ending the war in Ukraine. “We were treated very nicely by Russia,” Trump said. “Actually, I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war and millions of people can stop being killed.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, hundreds of thousands of people—primarily soldiers—have lost their lives. Trump called the prisoner exchange with Russia “very fair, very reasonable” and confirmed that another individual would be released the following day.
Fogel expressed gratitude upon his return, stating, “I feel like the luckiest man on Earth right now. I’m a middle-class school teacher who’s now in a dream world.”
President Trump Greets and Welcomes Marc Fogel Back to The United States https://t.co/LfMAk8NdGj
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 12, 2025
His sister, Anne Fogel, told the BBC that he had been moved from a penal colony in Rybinsk last Wednesday. While the family was aware that negotiations were ongoing, she noted that the process had been “very tenuous.”
Following his arrival in the U.S., the White House shared a post on X with the message: “PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT!” alongside a photo of Fogel.
Fogel was arrested in 2021 at a Russian airport for possessing a small quantity of medical marijuana, prescribed in the U.S. He was later sentenced to 14 years in prison. His legal team praised Trump’s efforts in securing his release and slammed what they described as the “bureaucratic inaction” of the Biden administration.
“President Trump secured Marc’s release in just a few weeks, wasting no time in taking decisive action to bring Marc home,” his lawyers said in a statement to CBS News. Despite beginning his sentence in 2022, the US government did not classify Fogel as wrongfully detained until December 2024. His family had urged former President Joe Biden to intervene, but he was not included in previous prisoner exchanges in 2022 and 2024.
Marc Fogel is free! Marc was detained in Russia, and now after more than three years, he is on his way back home to reunite with his family. @POTUS is working to secure the release of all detained Americans in Russia and around the world.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 12, 2025
Fogel, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was a teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow and had previously served as a diplomat at the US embassy there. While imprisoned, he reportedly taught English to fellow inmates.
It remains unclear whether the US released anyone in exchange for Fogel’s freedom.
