An American teacher sentenced to 14 years in a Russian jail has been released and is flying home to be reunited with his family.
Marc Fogel, 63, was pictured on a flight to the US on Tuesday – more than three years after he was arrested in Moscow for drug smuggling.
He was detained after travelling with what his family said was medically prescribed cannabis. In December, the US government designated him as wrongfully detained.
Mr Fogel left Russia with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in what officials said could help bring about talks to end the Ukraine war.
US national security adviser Mike Waltz said: “President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the president’s advisers negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians”.
“By tonight, Marc Fogel will be on American soil and reunited with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” he added.
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (left) helped secure the release. File pic: Reuters
Moscow has so far not commented and it is unclear what concessions the US might have made.
“We are beyond grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed that after more than three years of detention, our father, husband, and son, Marc Fogel, is finally coming home,” the family said in a statement.
They said their time apart had been “the darkest and most painful period of our lives”.
Mr Waltz said the deal was “a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine”.
Donald Trump said last month his administration was involved in “very serious” talks with Russia about the future of the conflict.
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Mr Fogel’s release comes six months after he was excluded from the biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War.
That historic deal won the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan, among others.
Russian hitman Vadim Krasikov was among those released from Western prisons in exchange.
However, US-Russian national Ksenia Khavana remains locked up after getting a 12-year treason sentence in August related to a $52 donation to a charity benefiting Ukraine.
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