“A sign of good will”. The liberation of Marc Fogel, 63, who would be on the way to the United States, comes when US President Donald Trump seeks to negotiate the end of the war in Ukraine.
Marc Fogel, former employee of the United States Embassy in Moscow, sentenced to Russia to 14 years in prison in a drug trafficking case, was released following a surprise visit to Moscow of the Special Envoy From Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, as the White House said. He will be back on American soil “evening“.
The National Security Advisor to the American President Mike Walz described the agreement between the Russians and the Americans “proof of good faith“From Moscow, which, according to him, could contribute to negotiations at the end of the war in Ukraine.
“”This is a sign that we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine“He wrote in an official press release.
A little earlier, Russian and Ukrainian telegram channels had indicated that a Gulfstream G650er business plane from Washington, linked to Steve Witkoff, had been seen in one of Moscow’s airports.
“”There is no information on this subject, no contact (with Witkoff) is provided“said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, adding that Russian and American officials were still in talks about the war in Ukraine.
Marc Fogel, who taught in an international school in Moscow, was arrested in August 2021 at Sheremetyevo airport when he came back from New York with his wife.
According to the Telegram Baza chain, linked to Russian security services, airport police found in their luggage cartridges of haschich oil, and cannabis in solid form.
In June 2022, the Tribunal of the City of Khimki, in the Moscow region, sentenced him to 14 years in prison for “smuggling and possession of drugs in large quantitiesas reported by the independent Russian media Mediazona.
Relatives of Marc Fogel said he was traveling with cannabis “For medical reasons“.
Last December, the administration of President Joe Biden described the detention of the American as “illegal“.
Mike Waltz, Trump advisor, said the United States and Russia had “negotiated an exchange“To obtain the release of Marc Fogel. He did not specify the commitments made by the United States as part of this agreement.
Previous negotiations have notably focused on the mutual release of Russians detained in the United States.
The last major exchange of prisoners between Russia and Western countries took place in August 2024. In total, 26 people, including journalist Evan Gershkovich, were exchanged. The Kremlin has obtained the release of the presumed agents of the secret services as well as the Russian hackers.
