The Kremlin said Wednesday it expects a Russian citizen detained in the U.S. to be returned as part of the deal that secured American teacher Marc Fogel’s release.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the person is expected back in Russia in the “coming days” but did not identify the detainee.
“There has recently been intensified work through the relevant agencies, with contacts taking place,” Mr. Peskov told reporters at his daily press briefing. “As a result of these efforts, Fogel has been released, along with a Russian citizen who is currently being held in a U.S. prison.”
Mr. Fogel was arrested on charges of bringing medical marijuana into Russia in August 2021. He began serving a 14-year sentence by June 2022. He was classified as wrongly detained by the Biden administration last year.
The White House on Tuesday said President Trump and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff negotiated “an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.”
However, the administration did not say whether anything was given up for Mr. Fogel, akin to swaps that occurred during the Biden era.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to NewsNation late Tuesday, suggested there was no swap.
“I think it’s also important to note it was not in return for anything. There wasn’t some deal here where we had to release like 10 spies and I think it shows President Trump’s commitment to bringing home Americans,” Mr. Rubio told host Chris Cuomo.
Mr. Rubio also said the situation in Ukraine remains “complex” so people shouldn’t read too much into linking the Fogel situation with ending the Russian invasion.
“I wouldn’t link the two because they’re not linked in the sense that there was some sort of understanding on Ukraine in exchange for this,” Mr. Rubio said. “What I would say about it, though, is that if you can’t even get an American held under these circumstances released, and the chances of working together in good faith are not none. So it’s certainly a good sign.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.