U.S President, Donald Trump has commended the release of an American jailed in Russia, saying he hoped the gesture would allow the two countries to collaborate on settling the conflict in Ukraine.
Trump also hinted at another release, saying “somebody else very special” is coming home on Wednesday, without elaborating who or from where.
Mr. Marc Fogel, a US school teacher, has been held captive by the Russians since 2021.
Steve Witkoff, the investor serving as President Donald Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, and other US officials negotiated Fogel’s release.
He had been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being accused of attempting to enter the country with medical marijuana.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, in a statement on Tuesday, cast 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.”
The exchange comes as Trump is intensifying his efforts to broker a peace accord between Russia and Ukraine he promised on the campaign trail.
Trump announced on Tuesday he was dispatching Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Trump has said he’s seeking guarantees from Ukraine that the U.S can access critical mineral reserves in the country as a condition of continued support.
Retired general Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia, is to give Trump with options to stop the fighting in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the situation.
Kellogg intends to solicit feedback from officials at the Munich Security Conference and on travels to Kyiv and other European capitals, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are confidential.
Trump also told the New York Post in an interview Friday that he had spoken with Putin on the phone about stopping the crisis.
