American teacher back in U.S. after Russia releases him from detention
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President Trump welcomes Marc Fogel at the White House on Tuesday night after the American teacher arrived back in the U.S. after being released from Russian custody. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Marc Fogel arrived in the U.S. on Tuesday night after Russia freed him from detention following envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow for talks that the White House said helped lead to the American teacher's release.
The latest: President Trump met Fogel at the White House on Tuesday night and stressed he appreciated Russian President Vladimir Putin releasing him. "It was a fair deal", Trump said, adding he thinks Fogel's release will show goodwill on Russia's part in terms of the war in Ukraine.
- Trump said another American who is detained abroad is going to be released on Wednesday.
Why it matters: White House envoy Witkoff's trip to Moscow and the release of the detained American are a major breakthrough in U.S.-Russian relations, which were almost completely frozen in recent years.
- The last visit by a senior U.S. official in Moscow was in 2021 when then-CIA director Bill Burns met Putin and warned him not to invade Ukraine.
- This development comes as Trump is working on launching diplomatic talks on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Driving the news: The Moscow arrival of Witkoff's private jet was spotted earlier on Tuesday on flight radar apps, but the White House declined to comment for hours and issued the announcement only after Witkoff left Russian airspace with Fogel.
Flashback: Fogel was arrested in 2021 while he tried to enter Russia after a small amount of medical marijuana was found in his luggage. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
- Only three years after he was arrested, the U.S. government started seeing Fogel as a wrongfully detained American citizen.
What they're saying: "President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the President's advisors 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," White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement.
What we're watching: In the coming days, the Trump administration is expected to ratchet up its diplomatic efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
- Vice President JD Vance is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Munich security conference this weekend, two sources said.
- White House envoy for Ukraine-Russia diplomacy Keith Kellogg will also attend the meeting in Munich and is expected to travel to Kyiv right after.
Editor's note: This article and headline have been updated to reflect that teacher Marc Fogel has returned to the U.S. and other additional developments have been added, including his meeting with President Trump.
