The US teacher, held in Russia since 2021, was released after a contract that stated that Donald Trump wanted to mark the beginning of a new relationship with Moscow.
Mark Vogel, a Pennsylvania school teacher who was sentenced to 14 years in Russia for drug trafficking, was released on Tuesday after an unpublished visit to Moscow by Trump envoy Steve Witkov. It was done.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkov can announce that Witkov will be leaving Russia’s airspace along with American Mark Vogel, who has been detained in Russia. “We’re going to do that,” said Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser. statement.
In his statement, Waltz said the US and Russia were “a crucial exchange from the Russians as a show and as a sign that we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine. “We negotiated an exchange of the
Asked what the US gave in return for Vogel’s release, Trump later said: “Not so much.”
He told reporters: “We were actually treated very well by Russia, and I hope that’s the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war.”
Previous negotiations have sometimes involved mutual release of detainees and prisoners.
The deal was negotiated secretly, but rumors began to spread about Witkov’s presence in Russia when his private jet was discovered to land in Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier that day that he had “no information” about Witkov’s plane arrival.
Fogel has been working as a teacher at Anglo-American Schools in Moscow since 2012, teaching abroad in countries such as Oman and Malaysia. He was arrested at Moscow Airport in 2021 after Russian officials discovered 1 ounce of marijuana in their luggage.
Fogel’s surprise release highlights the ongoing back-channel negotiations between the US and Russia, and demonstrates Putin’s intentions to cultivate ties with the Trump administration ahead of the expected peace talks regarding the war in Ukraine Masu.
Since taking office, Putin has tributes to Trump, survived an attempted assassination, while also praising him as “brave” and is ready to meet with American leaders.
Trump spoke with Putin but said he was vague about the details other than saying he was “progressing” to secure the end of the war in Ukraine, which began with a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. .
In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump suggested that Ukraine “could one day become Russian.” His Vice President JD Vance has been prepared to meet Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky later this week.
The latest involvement between Russia and the US causes an alarm bell in Kiev. There, Zelensky has to navigate the new reality of the US administration, where Zelensky has opened a dialogue with Moscow, but can show open hostility towards Ukraine.
Vogel and his family were hoping he would be included in the historic prisoner exchange in August, which released Wall Street journalist Evan Gershkovich and US Marine Paul Whelan. At the time, Vogel had not yet been designated “illegally detained” by the US government, a label he received later last year.
In a statement, Vogel’s family said they were “thank you, relieved and overwhelmed” that they were back home.
“This was the darkest and most painful time of our lives, but today we are beginning to heal,” they said. “For the first time in years, our family is looking forward to the future with hope.”
Fogel is scheduled to arrive in the US later Tuesday.
