American ex-detainee lands in US after being released by Russia

American teacher Marc Fogel, who was released from Russian detention after being held there since 2021, landed in the United States, where he was greeted by President Donald Trump, the White House said.

"Promises made, promises kept!!!" the White House said in a post on social network X on Tuesday, which included a photo of Fogel getting off a plane.

"I feel like the luckiest man on Earth right now," Fogel said at the White House as he stood next to Trump with an American flag draped around his shoulders.

Fogel, who was expected to be reunited with his family by the end of the day, said he would forever be indebted to Trump.

He was arrested in August 2021 and was serving a 14-year prison sentence.

His family and supporters said he had been traveling with medically prescribed marijuana, and he was designated by President Joe Biden's administration as wrongfully detained in December.

Another release

Trump said another American would be released on Wednesday, though he declined to name the person or say what country, only saying it was someone "very special."

He also said it was a fair deal and that Russian President Vladimir Putin got very little in return.

"We appreciate what Putin did," he said.

As the Russia-Ukraine war nears the end of its third year, Trump's plan for securing an end to the conflict remains unclear, though he has said that both sides will need to make concessions and suggested that Ukraine would have to accept the loss of at least some territory.

Fogel's release and Trump's announcement that he will send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Kiev for talks with Ukraine’s leaders could signal that plans may be beginning to take shape.

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Source: TRT