Marc Fogel, an American teacher who spent over three years in Russian custody, has been released following negotiations between Moscow and Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff, the White House announced Tuesday.

Fogel, a 63-year-old Pennsylvania native who had been serving a 14-year prison sentence in Russia, was designated as 'wrongfully detained' by the Biden administration in late 2023.

Witkoff, a billionaire New York real estate executive and close Trump ally, personally flew to Moscow on his private jet to secure Fogel's release. This marks the first known trip to Moscow by a senior US official since November 2021.

National Security Advisor Michael Waltz announced that the deal was '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.' The specific terms of the exchange were not disclosed.

Fogel was initially arrested in August 2021 for carrying a small amount of medical marijuana that had been legally prescribed in the United States but is banned in Russia. His case gained attention as he remained in custody while other high-profile detainees like Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and WNBA star Brittney Griner were released.

The Fogel family expressed their gratitude in a statement: We are beyond grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed that after more than three years of detention, our father, husband, and son, Marc Fogel, is finally coming home.