President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Russia has agreed to release Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher detained in Russia, on humanitarian grounds without any exchange. The announcement came during a meeting with Russian officials, according to a White House statement.
Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was arrested in August 2021 at a Moscow airport for possessing cannabis oil, which he said was for medical use. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2022. His case has been a point of contention between the U.S. and Russia, with his family and supporters urging the administration to secure his release.
Trump did not specify a timeline for Fogel's release but said that the Russian president agreed to let him go as a humanitarian gesture. The White House did not provide further details, and the Russian government has not yet confirmed the agreement.
This development follows a series of prisoner exchanges between the two countries, including the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner in December 2022. Fogel's release, if confirmed, would mark another rare diplomatic breakthrough amid ongoing tensions over Ukraine.
