Remember Marc Fogel? Russia arrested him in 2021 over a marijuana charge, and got forgotten by the Biden administration while it made prisoner swaps for more media-friendly Americans. Last August, Fogel and his family expressed their frustration that Biden hadn’t included him in those swaps, including one that released the “Merchant of Death” arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Today, however, Fogel finds himself on a plane back to the US, thanks to Donald Trump and his envoy Steven Witkoff, seemingly for no exchange at all except “goodwill,” although that may yet change:
NEW: National Security Advisor Mike Waltz says Special Envoy Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American detained by Russia:
“By tonight, Marc Fogel will be on American soil and reunited with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump’s… pic.twitter.com/dTRW7DJtAU
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) February 11, 2025
Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, said the U.S. and Russia “negotiated an exchange” to ensure Fogel’s release. He did not say what the U.S. side of the bargain entailed. Previous negotiations have occasionally involved reciprocal releases of Russians by the U.S. or its allies.
Waltz described the development as “a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.” Trump, a Republican, has promised to find a way to end the conflict.
What was exchanged? If this follows the pattern of earlier negotiations, Russia may have gotten back a national incarcerated elsewhere in the West. Usually, however, Russia makes those terms very public so as to benefit the Putin regime in domestic media.
Trump has been demanding the release of Fogel since this past summer. In one particular coincidence, Trump met with Fogel’s mother just before getting shot in the ear in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Malphine Fogel attended the rally as Trump’s guest and watched as Trump went down and rose again:
[more to come]
