American schoolteacher and former diplomat Marc Fogel, who had been detained in Russia since 2021 for carrying U.S.-prescribed medical marijuana, landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday.

The Details: President Donald Trump’s administration facilitated the exchange. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff played a principal role, traveling to Russia to retrieve Fogel himself. Trump didn't give details on the deal, other than that it was “very fair” and that another detainee would be released on Wednesday. The Kremlin said the U.S. freed a Russian citizen. Fogel spoke to the press alongside Trump from the White House, with several key administration members present. Trump and Fogel both thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for his cooperation, with Fogel describing him as “generous” and “very statesman-like.” Fogel served 3.5 years of his 14-year sentence.

For Context: Fogel is from Butler, Pennsylvania. His 95-year-old mother met with Trump before the rally at which he was shot in the ear in July. On August 1, 2024, the U.S. and Russia engaged in a swap that included 24 prisoners. Fogel was not included in this swap because the Biden administration didn’t designate him as wrongfully detained until late December 2024. 

Brittney Griner: American basketball star Brittney Griner was also detained by Russia in February 2022 and sentenced to 9 years in prison for carrying cannabis oils in her luggage. The Biden administration publicly said Griner was wrongfully detained in May 2022 and secured her release in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout in December 2022.

How The Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) included a video of the full interaction between Trump, Fogel, and the press in the White House, and highlighted that Fogel called Trump and fellow lawmakers heroes. It also highlighted that the White House wrote on X, “PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT!!!” The New York Times (Lean Left) described the swap as “a gesture of good will for both sides, aimed at… potentially improving relations between Russia and the United States.”