White House announces wrongfully detained American teacher Marc Fogel released from Russia in an ‘exchange’
SUMMARY
The Trump administration secured the release of Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained in Russia for over three years, in an “exchange,” the White House announced Tuesday. Fogel, arrested in 2021 for carrying medical cannabis, had been sentenced to 14 years in a Russian labor camp. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz credited President Trump, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and advisers for negotiating the deal, calling it “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.” Witkoff personally traveled to Russia to bring Fogel home—an unprecedented high-level U.S. visit since the war began in 2022. Senator Steve Daines praised the effort: “This is a major victory for President Trump, the United States, and most importantly, Marc Fogel and his family.” Fogel is expected to reunite with loved ones by Tuesday night. Details of the exchange remain undisclosed.
