Trump's deal with Putin: what did America give Russia for Marc Fogel?

US President Donald Trump is celebrating a deal he made to get an American teacher who was wrongfully detained for over three years in Russia back on American soil. However, questions remain about what or who America gave Russia in exchange.

As reported by the BBC, on the evening of February 11, Trump welcomed Marc Fogel back to the United States following the White House's successful negotiation for his release in an "exchange."

According to CNN, Fogel was detained in Moscow in 2021 for possessing cannabis, which his attorney mentioned was prescribed to him in the United States for chronic pain management. In June 2022, he received a 14-year prison sentence in Russia.

On February 11 President Trump greeted Fogel, who arrived draped in an American flag at the White House, saying he was honored "to have played a small role" in Fogel's release.

Fogel gave an emotional speech in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, saying, "Thank you all, and I love our country, and I'm so happy to be back here. And I wish I could articulate it better."

CNN reports that Marc Fogel, age 61, was designated as wrongfully detained by the US State Department in 2024. National security adviser Mike Waltz said that the "exchange" was brokered for Fogel's release thanks to negotiations carried out by Donald Trump, Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and the President’s advisers.

On February 11, Waltz shared a post on X (Twitter) saying, "Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia. President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the President's advisors 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."

Despite calling Fogel's release an "exchange," Mike Waltz did not release any details about what Donald Trump gave Russian President Vladimir Putin in return for the release of the American.

As CNN reported at a news conference at the Oval Office later that day, when President Trump was questioned about the details of the exchange with Russia and what the United States gave to Russia for Marc Fogel, Trump was rather elusive.

Trump told the press that the US hadn't given Russia anything significant in the exchange, saying, "Not much, no. They were very nice, we were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that's the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war and millions of people can stop being killed."

Reporters also asked Trump if Fogel's release was the beginning of a peace deal with Russia, to which Trump responded, "There's goodwill in terms of the war."

President went on to commend Putin for helping secure Marc Fogel's release. According to CNN, Trump spoke to Fogel, saying, "You could be a big part of it, actually, because it could be a big, important part of getting the war over with Ukraine. And we appreciate President Putin for what he did. He was able to pull it off for you, right?"

At the moment, no other details about the exchange are available. However, Trump did tell the media that the deal was "very fair, very reasonable, not like deals you've seen over the years." President Trump also told the press that the conditions of Fogel's release would be announced on February 12.

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