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| Marc Fogel in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House on Feb. 11. |
Why it matters:
Former President Trump has praised the exchange as a "fair deal," contrasting it with previous U.S.-Russia prisoner swaps that he criticized as one-sided or poorly negotiated.
The latest:
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to name the Russian prisoner during a press briefing, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
- The Russian citizen will be repatriated "in the coming days," Peskov said.
- His identity will be revealed after he returns to Russia.
- Unlike typical exchanges, where both prisoners are released and identified simultaneously, this swap follows a different sequence, per the Associated Press.
Background:
Fogel, 63, a Pittsburgh native, was a teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow.
- He was arrested in 2021 for carrying a small amount of medical marijuana while entering Russia.
- Sentenced to 14 years in prison, he arrived back in the U.S. on Tuesday night.
The bigger picture:
Trump has been vocal about prisoner exchanges in the past.
- After the Biden administration secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich last year, Trump criticized the deal on Truth Social, questioning whether the U.S. was freeing dangerous criminals in return.
- He was also critical of the swap that brought WNBA star Brittney Griner home in exchange for a notorious Russian arms dealer.
Looking back:
While Trump secured the release of some American detainees without a trade during his presidency, he also oversaw at least four prisoner exchanges, according to CNN.
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