US teacher returns home after being freed by Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed American teacher Marc Fogel to the White House precocious Tuesday aft Fogel was freed from Russia wherever helium had been detained since August 2021 for bringing medically prescribed marijuana into the country.

“I consciousness similar the luckiest antheral connected Earth close now,” Fogel said arsenic helium stood adjacent to Trump.

Fogel praised the president, U.S. diplomats and lawmakers for moving to unafraid his release.

“I americium successful awe of what they each did,” Fogel said.

Trump said helium appreciated what Russia did successful letting Fogel spell location but declined to specify the details of immoderate statement with Russia beyond calling it “very fair” and precise reasonable.”

Trump besides said different hostage merchandise would beryllium announced Wednesday.

Mike Waltz, Trump’s nationalist information adviser, said earlier Tuesday the United States and Russia “negotiated an exchange” to escaped Fogel but gave nary details astir what the U.S. broadside of the bargain entailed. In specified deals successful caller years, the U.S. has often released Russian prisoners that Moscow wanted successful exchange.

Instead, Waltz formed the woody for Fogel’s merchandise successful broader geopolitical terms, saying it was “a amusement of bully religion from the Russians and a motion we are moving successful the close absorption to extremity the brutal and unspeakable warfare successful Ukraine,” an penetration Russia launched against its neighbour successful February 2022, with hundreds of thousands killed oregon wounded connected some sides.

Trump had vowed to broker an extremity to Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine earlier taking bureau Jan. 20, but his aides much precocious person said helium hopes to bash it wrong the archetypal 100 days of his caller administration, astir by the extremity of April.

“Since President Trump’s swearing-in, helium has successfully secured the merchandise of Americans detained astir the world, and President Trump volition proceed until each Americans being held are returned to the United States,” Waltz said. The caller merchandise of six Americans held successful Venezuela and Fogel’s freeing are the lone publically known instances.

Fogel had been traveling with a tiny magnitude of medically prescribed marijuana to dainty backmost pain. Once convicted by a Russian court, helium began serving his 14-year condemnation successful June 2022, with the outgoing medication of erstwhile President Joe Biden precocious past twelvemonth classifying him arsenic wrongfully detained.