US confirms Trump envoy’s visit to Moscow to retrieve hostage
Pravda Ukraine
President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow on 11 February to retrieve US citizen Marc Fogel, a teacher who spent over three years in Russian custody on drug possession charges.
Source: The White House; The New York Times, as reported by European Pravda
Details: National Security Advisor Michael Waltz said Witkoff, acting on Trump’s instructions, had flown Fogel out of Russia on his private jet as part of a prisoner exchange.
Quote from Waltz: “President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the president’s advisers 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.”
More details: No details were provided on whether the US or an allied country released anyone in return or what steps the Trump administration had taken to secure Fogel’s release. It is also unclear whether Witkoff met with any Russian officials during his visit to Moscow.
Fogel, a teacher and former US Embassy staffer, was arrested in Russia in August 2021 for bringing in medical marijuana. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Earlier on Tuesday, 11 February, media outlets noted that a Gulfstream business jet owned by Witkoff – and frequently used by Trump in the past – had landed in Moscow.
Background: In August 2024, a major prisoner swap took place in Türkiye involving 24 detainees, with the involvement of six Western nations, including the US and Germany, as well as Russia. The negotiations had lasted over two years. At the time, Trump called the exchange “a victory for Putin”.
Support UP or become our patron!