Russia releases imprisoned American Marc Fogel in what US calls a step toward the end of Ukraine war

WASHINGTON — Marc Fogel, an American teacher who was deemed wrongfully detained in Russia, has been released in what the White House described as a diplomatic thaw that could advance negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for President Donald Trump, left Russian airspace with Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, and he's expected to be reunited with his family by the end of the day.

Fogel was arrested in August 2021 and was serving a 14-year prison sentence. His family and supporters said he had been traveling with medically prescribed marijuana, and he was designated by President Joe Biden's administration as wrongfully detained in December.

Michael 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 said the development was ''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.

Trump also has talked about having a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last month, Trump said his administration was having ''very serious'' conversations with Russia about the war.

Fogel's relatives said they were ''beyond grateful, relieved and overwhelmed'' that he was coming home.

''This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal,'' they said. "For the first time in years, our family can look forward to the future with hope.''

There was no immediate comment from Moscow about Fogel's release on Tuesday.

The U.S., Russia and other nations carried out a large prisoner swap in August that resulted in the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and American corporate security executive Paul Whelan, among others.

But that deal left out numerous other Americans jailed in Russia, including Fogel. Some omitted then were also not included in Tuesday's release, including several who have had major milestones in their cases since then.

Among them is U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Khavana, who was convicted two weeks after last August's prisoner swap of treason in a Russian court and sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine. The Biden White House at the time called the conviction and sentencing ''nothing less than vindictive cruelty.''

Last October, American Robert Gilman was sentenced to more than seven years in prison in Russia for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers, while American Stephen Hubbard was sentenced to prison in a closed trial for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

As the Russia-Ukraine war nears the end of its third year, Trump's plan for securing an end to the conflict remains unclear, though he has said that both sides will need to make concessions and suggested that Ukraine would have to accept the loss of at least some territory. Fogel's release and Trump's announcement that he will send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Kyiv for talks with Ukraine's leaders could signal that plans may be beginning to take shape.

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, will all be traveling later this week to the Munich Security Conference, where the situation in Ukraine will be a major topic of discussion.

Kellogg told The Associated Press on Monday that he and the others would be talking to European officials about the very broad outlines of what Trump would like to see and gauging their interest.

''We will deliver our expectation to the allies,'' Kellogg said. ''When we come back from Munich — we want to deliver to the president the options, so when he does get (directly) involved in the peace process, he knows what it will look like for him.''

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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington.