
The White House announced that Trump facilitated the release of Marc Fogel, an American imprisoned since 2021 on drug-related charges, as part of an “exchange,” though no additional details were provided.
According to the White House, Steve Witkoff, a property developer and Trump associate serving as his Middle East envoy, was in discussions and was “leaving Russian airspace” with Fogel.
Adam Boehler, the U.S. envoy responsible for hostages, later shared a photo of Fogel that seemed to depict him enjoying a drink on a flight home, with one hand holding his passport and the other a plate of food.
“President Trump, Steve Witkoff, and the President’s advisors negotiated an exchange that demonstrates goodwill from the Russians and indicates progress towards resolving the ongoing and devastating war in Ukraine,” stated U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
There was no immediate response from Russia, although state-run news agencies reported on the White House’s announcement.
In December, Russia’s Supreme Court declined to review Fogel’s appeal against his 14-year sentence.
Witkoff, who previously played a significant role in advancing a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, is the first senior U.S. official known to have visited Russia in recent years.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, former President Joe Biden curtailed most communications, although intelligence leaders and others continued to meet discreetly in third-party countries.
Ahead of Ukraine talks
The announcement regarding Fogel was made just hours after Trump revealed that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would be visiting Ukraine—another cabinet member engaged in a task separate from his primary responsibilities.
Bessent is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will also be meeting with US Vice President JD Vance on Friday during the Munich Security Conference.
Upon taking office, Trump pledged to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine, potentially using the billions of dollars in US aid provided by Biden as leverage to compel Kyiv to make territorial concessions.
In a Fox News interview broadcast on Monday, Trump suggested that Ukraine “may be Russian someday,” a statement that was quickly embraced by Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked, “The fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russia, and has already, is a fact,” referencing Moscow’s 2022 annexation of four Ukrainian regions following referendums that were widely condemned internationally as fraudulent.
Ukrainians expressed disdain towards Trump’s comments, with some questioning his understanding of the ongoing situation.
“It seems like a form of senile madness,” remarked Daniil, a resident of Kyiv, to AFP.
A Ukrainian soldier in central Kyiv, who identified himself as Mykola, stated regarding Trump: “He is free to think and say whatever he wants, but Ukraine will never be part of Russia.”
In the past, Trump has shown admiration for Putin and controversially supported his dismissal of the US intelligence community’s conclusions regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election.
However, in recent weeks, Trump has urged Russia to seek a compromise, suggesting that Putin should address significant losses in both personnel and finances.
Both Ukrainian and Russian forces are striving to gain an upper hand on the battlefield in anticipation of potential negotiations.
On Tuesday, Russia’s defense ministry announced the capture of the small village of Yasenove in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine.
During the night, both sides engaged in long-range strikes against each other’s energy infrastructure. Ukraine’s General Staff reported that its forces targeted an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region, resulting in a fire.
In Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, local prosecutors reported that a Russian bombing killed a 40-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman.
Considered wrongfully detained
Despite his decision to avoid direct communication with Putin since the invasion, Biden has facilitated negotiations through aides that led to the release of high-profile Americans imprisoned by Russia, including basketball player Britney Griner, journalist Evan Gershkovich, and former Marine Paul Whelan.
In exchange, among the Russians released was Viktor Bout, an arms dealer convicted of trafficking weapons globally until his arrest in Thailand in 2008.
Fogel, 63, was teaching at the Anglo-American School in Moscow when he was detained in August 2021 for allegedly possessing 21 grams of cannabis and cannabis oil at the Moscow airport.
A native of Pennsylvania, Fogel has spent over 25 years teaching English abroad and has resided in Russia since 2012. Reports indicate that he was instructing Russians in English at his penal colony.
His family expressed disappointment that he was not included in earlier prisoner exchanges. In August, Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor for the Biden administration, stated for the first time that the United States views him as “wrongfully detained.”