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Mark Vogel, an American teacher who has been detained in Russia for more than three years, landed in the United States Tuesday night after the Trump administration secured his release in an “exchange.”
According to a statement from national security adviser Mike, Vogel, who was designated illegally detained by the US State Department, is a contract negotiated by President Donald Trump, envoy of Middle East Steve Witkoff and envoy for “President Advisor.” was negotiated. Waltz.
The statement does not provide details regarding the “exchange” besides saying it is a “a sincere show from the Russians and a sign that it is moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.” That was it.
“In fact, we were treated very well by Russia,” Trump said Tuesday in his oval office. “I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war and that millions of people can stop being killed.”
The White House posted a photo of Vogel getting off the plane at Andrews’ joint base late Tuesday, with the American flag covered in shoulder. He was expected to travel to the White House. There, the president is set up to welcome him.
Trump’s chosen Adam Bowler as a special envoy on the hostage issue will be holding CNN’s Catelan Collins at least Tuesday as a direct one-on-one exchange with Russians held in the US. He told him there would be no direct one-on-one exchanges with the Russians.
“You don’t see the exchange continue now. If there are non-violent people who may be in any way fine, I think you’ll see the president consider it, but you’re one pair at the same time. You don’t see one happening,” Bowler said. “Sources from Andrews’ joint base prior to Vogel’s arrival.”
Speaking to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the bowler mocked the release of an additional detained American on Wednesday, but did not say whether the person was in Russia. “That would be a surprise for tomorrow,” he said.
In an extraordinary movement, Witkov personally went to Russia to regain Fogel, Waltz’s statement stated. Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, no high-level US trip to Russia has been known.
Witkov, a Middle Eastern envoy and previously unknown official deals with Russia, said that, according to two people who explained the debate, he used Middle Eastern relations to promote Middle Eastern relations. The department was involved.
Witkov has crossed areas working on the Gaza ceasefire agreement in recent months, particularly in Qatar, the leading mediator. Doha was involved in supporting Witkov and the regime in Tuesday’s exchange agreement through referrals that Katalis gave to Russian intermediaries, people said.
“By tonight, Mark Vogel will appear in the US soil and will reunite with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” Waltz’s statement said.
Fogel’s family said Tuesday that they were “thank you, relieved you, and overwhelmed after more than three years of detention.”
“Thanks to President Trump’s unwavering leadership, Mark will soon be back in American soil and free to where he belongs,” Jane, Ethan and Sam Vogel said in a statement. “This was the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today we are beginning to heal.”
Fogel’s sister Anne Fogel is “out front” on CNN’s Erin on Wednesday as his wife and children head to Texas to head to Texas due to a winter storm in Washington, DC He told Burnett. She said last week she was notified that her brother had moved from Libinsk prison.
“We’re really ecstatic and we’re celebrating,” Anne Vogel said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the bowler returned to the US, lifted his glass with his US passport and posted a “real-time photo” of Mark Vogel. “I’m sure it was Scotch,” his sister said.
Fogel worked as a history teacher at an Anglo-American school in Moscow for nearly a decade.
He was arrested at a Moscow airport in August 2021 after being found carrying marijuana. He was traveling to the country with about 17 grams of cannabis. His family and lawyers said the doctors recommended him to treat “severe spinal pain.”
In June 2022, he was found guilty of committing “large drug smuggling” in a court just outside Moscow and sentenced to 14 years in a violent Russian labor camp. The same court held a detention trial for WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was released in prison swap in December 2022.
Fogel was not included in multiple prisoner swaps under the Biden administration, including one in August when he saw the release of journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
Fogel’s family expressed deep concern about his health, informing CNN in July 2022 that his sentence amounted to “his death sentence.” The US government had asked Russia to release Vogel on humanitarian grounds due to age and chronic back pain.
Senator Steve Daines wrote to then-state Attorney General Antony Blinken in June 2023 to immediately designate the State Department as “illegally detained” that the US had done late last year. Ta.
On Tuesday, Daines praised Trump for securing Vogel’s release.
“This is a huge victory for President Trump, the United States and, most importantly, Mark Vogel and his family. Americans should have to endure this injustice and I am the one who Mark loves him. I feel relieved that I’m on my way back to the country,” the Montana Republican wrote on X.
Fogel is originally from Pennsylvania, but he has a family living in Montana, including his sister. She told CNN in December that her family was pleased with the government’s decision to designate her brother as formally misdetained.
Vogel’s mother, Malfin Fogel, met with Trump before Butler, Pennsylvania, and Larry was almost assassinated in July.
“He said, ‘We’ll put him out,'” Malfin Fogel told WTAE, the then CNN affiliate. “So I told Mark that. He said it was three different times. He gave his thumbs up and said, “We’re going to let him out.” ”
Rep. Mike Kelly, a MP for Malfin Vogel, cheered on Mark Vogel’s release on Tuesday. “For years I have met Vogels and have been insisting on Mark’s release,” the Pennsylvania Republican added to X:
Democrat Chris Delugio, a Vogel lawmaker, praised the news, just like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
“After more than three years as a Russian prisoner, I am welcome to the home of Mark Vogel – where he belongs to his family, his federal partners, and all his fellow Pennsylvanians. ” wrote the Democratic governor.
Many Americans are still in detention in Russia. American Stephen Hubbard and Russian-American dual national Xenia Carrerina – at least two have been designated as wrongly detained.
Rubio told Collins that Vogel’s release and the end of the war in Ukraine are not linked, but that is a good indication that Russia is willing to cooperate.
“It’s a long way to go, and it won’t be easy,” Rubio said of ending the war. “Again, I don’t want to argue that what’s going on here tonight is the first step towards that, but I think it’s a good indication that the Russians wanted to do something in this respect. We’ll build on it in the next few days.”
Rubio said he doesn’t think anyone could assign a timeline to the end of the nearly three-year war. “We don’t want to see it end, we want to see it end in a sustainable way,” he said.
News of a “exchange” with Moscow comes as suggests that Trump could try to end the war in Ukraine in a way that makes Kiev uneasy.
In an interview with Fox News that aired this week, Trump said Ukraine could fall under Russian support.
“They may trade, they may not trade. They may be Russian one day, or they may not be Russian one day. But we’ll be there this You’ll have all the money, and I say, I want to get it back,” Trump said.
Members of the Trump administration will meet with Ukrainian officials in the coming days. Treasury Secretary Scott Becent is planning to travel to Kiev to discuss the country’s important mineral deposits, the two familiar with his plans told CNN. Vice President JD Vance is expected to meet Ukrainian President Voldimir Zelensky, and Ukrainian Trump envoy Keith Kellogg will visit Kiev following the meeting at the Munich Security Conference.
This story and headings have been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Alex Marquardt, Natasha Bertrand, Edward Szekeres, Teeele Rebane, Samantha Waldenberg, Jenna Monin and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.
