Kremlin assures that the U.S. released a Russian prisoner in exchange for Marc Fogel

After the release of Marc Fogel, the Kremlin reported that the U.S. government excarcerated a Russian prisoner - whose identity has not yet been disclosed - and he will return to Russia in the coming days.

"It is unlikely that this kind of agreement will be a turning point (in the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine), but it can be an element to strengthen trust" between the United States and Russia, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Vladimir Putin, said in statements picked up by AFP.

Fogel, a teacher by profession, was released after being held in a Russian jail since 2021, when he was charged with drug trafficking - at the time of his arrest he was allegedly carrying 17 grams of medical marijuana. After undergoing trial, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

In the last hours, Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff -his special envoy in the Middle East- and other advisors negotiated a prisoner exchange with the Kremlin. Negotiations that symbolized "a show of good faith on the part of the Russians and as a sign that we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine," as Mike Waltz, responsible for National Security at the White House, indicated in a statement.

As soon as he was released from prison, Fogel took a private plane owned by Witkoff to the United States. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by Trump, whom the professor defined as "a hero."

"I feel like the luckiest man in the world right now. And I want you to know that I am not a hero in all of this. President Trump is a hero. These men who came from the diplomatic service are heroes. The senators and representatives who passed legislation in my honor to bring me back are the heroes. I am in awe of everything they did," Fogel noted.