An American teacher detained in Russia returned to US soil Tuesday night, while Trump administration officials announced another expected release as soon as Wednesday, Fox News reported.
Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania history teacher who had been serving a 14-year sentence in Russia, met with President Donald Trump at the White House upon his return, as Special Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler and Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed plans for another American's imminent release.
"We have another American coming in [Wednesday]," Boehler and Rubio said during a CNN interview on Tuesday. In a subsequent appearance on Fox News' "Hannity," Boehler elaborated: "It'll be unilateral as well, and I can't release until the person is released. Obviously, it could endanger a hostage release, and that I can't do. But I can say that we expect another one [Wednesday] and hopefully a lot more through that because the president has made it a priority to get all Americans home."
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz announced that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had successfully negotiated "an exchange that serves as a good show of faith from the Russians" before departing Russian airspace with Fogel. The development, Waltz noted, suggests progress toward "moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine."
Fogel, 63, had been designated as wrongfully detained by the US government following his August 2021 arrest at a Russian airport for possession of what his family and supporters described as medically prescribed marijuana. Prior to his detention, he spent nine years teaching at the Anglo-American School in Moscow.
"Beyond grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed," Fogel's wife Jane and sons Ethan and Sam said in a statement following his release.
Waltz emphasized Trump's commitment to bringing detained Americans home. "Since President Trump's swearing-in, he has successfully secured the release of Americans detained around the world, and President Trump will continue until all Americans being held are returned to the United States," he said.
