With an American flag draped over his shoulders, Marc Fogel, the American teacher freed from a Russian prison, arrived at the White House on Tuesday night and was welcomed by President Donald Trump.
Fogel, 63, had been serving a 14-year prison sentence in a Russian prison colony after being arrested in 2021 on drug charges.
“I am not a hero,” Fogel said, addressing reporters from the White House. “President Donald Trump is a hero.”
At times overcome with emotion, Fogel thanked his family — including his 95-year-old mother, who pleaded his case to Trump at a campaign rally last year.
He also thanked Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special Middle East envoy, who played a key role in negotiating Fogel’s release.
Fogel spent three and a half years in prison before his release. He declined to describe his ordeal in specifics, saying every day was a challenge but that he needed time to talk about it. He said he had received over 400 injections while imprisoned, but didn’t say for what or provide further details.
Trump did not discuss the negotiations that led to Fogel’s release or describe any conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I can only say this: We got a man home whose mother and family wanted him desperately,” Trump said.
He later added that he thought Fogel’s return could advance negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
“I want to get the war ended,” Trump said.
Earlier in the day, the president was asked if Russia had given the United States anything in return for Fogel’s release, and he responded, “Not much, no. They were very nice. We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually.”
Adam Boehler, presidential envoy for hostage affairs, signaled that there will be an ongoing conversation between the U.S. and Russia.
“You won’t see an exchange,” Boehler said in an interview with CNN. “I think you will see the president give consideration — if there are some nonviolent people, where maybe there’s no issues one way or the other, but you will not see a one-for-one thing happening at the same time.”
“Marc’s release is also a reminder that other American citizens are still detained in Russia. President Trump is committed to bringing all of them home,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
Boehler told CNN on Tuesday night that “we have another American coming in tomorrow.”
He wouldn’t comment on where the individual was be released from, only saying: “Well, that’s going to be a surprise for tomorrow.”
After Fogel arrived to the White House, Trump confirmed that another release would take place on Wednesday, but did not provide any further details.
About Fogel’s arrest in 2021
Fogel was a teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, where many diplomats from the U.S. Embassy send their children.
The father of two was arrested in August 2021 when he landed at a Moscow airport. He was accused of trying to bring in 11 grams of marijuana, and eight grams of hash oil was reportedly found in his luggage.
The Pennsylvania native was sentenced to 14 years on a drug smuggling charge that his family has said was trumped up, and the U.S. had called for his humanitarian release.
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the American teacher had been “wrongfully detained” in October 2024, the State Department confirmed to ABC News.
The U.S. tried but was unable to include Fogel in the large prisoner swap in August 2024 that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, a State Department spokesperson said last year.
What Fogel told mother in first phone call
Fogel managed to call his family shortly before leaving Russia, his lawyer said.
His mother, Malphine Fogel, told ABC News Live that her son called her unexpectedly from the Moscow airport as he was waiting for his plane to D.C., calling it a “beautiful shocker.”
“It’s unreal still. We’ve been waiting for this time for a long time,” she said. “And when the news came over, it was unbelievable. We just can’t wait to see Marc in person. And until we do, I guess it’s not going to be real.”
She said he was in good spirits and “couldn’t have been happier” to be coming home.
“We kept hoping, but it seemed to get further and further away. And we just we prayed a lot,” she said. “My entire family prayed his way out of there anyway. We just couldn’t be more thankful.”
His sister, Anne Fogel, said they plan to meet in Pittsburgh after he receives post-isolation support in San Antonio, Texas.
“He’s so ready to be home,” she said, calling her brother “resilient.”
While awaiting Fogel’s arrival at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday evening, Rubio gave an interview with CNN in which discussed Fogel’s current health status, saying, “Obviously, he’s been in prison for three years. That’s never good for anyone. But he seems to be in good health.”
Pennsylvania officials celebrate
Elected officials in Pennsylvania celebrated Fogel’s release.
“After more than 3 years in Russian captivity, I join his family, our federal partners, and all of his fellow Pennsylvanians in welcoming Marc Fogel home — exactly where he belongs,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote in a post on X while thanking the White House “who made his release possible.”
Sen. John Fetterman commended Trump and Witkoff for their “efforts in finally bringing Marc home.”
