American Teacher Marc Fogel returned to America after 4 years in Russian prison. He met President Donald Trump as soon as he landed on his homeland.
Marc Fogel, who is a teacher by profession, spent the last 4 years in jail. He finally returned to the United States on late Tuesday night. In 2021, Russian authorities arrested Fogel near Moscow airport for being in possession of medical marijuana. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison following his arrest. The 63-year-old served only 4 years in prison before the Donald Trump's administration negotiated for his release.
"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," the official statement read.
Fogel made his way to the White House to visit Trump right after landing in America. A visibly emotional Fogel told the President how it was "very difficult to articulate" how proud he was of the Republican.
"How proud I am of what you've done, being back in my country... I love it," he added.
Trump had previously promised Marc's 95-year-old mother that he would bring her son back home. The President did not miss an opportunity to ask Fogel about his mother. He noted that his mom was in a "bit of shock" at the moment.
Fogel mentioned feeling like the "luckiest man on earth" and pointed out that he doesn't want to be labelled as the hero. "President Trump is a hero," he told the reporters. He also gave props to the officials working in the diplomatic service while calling them heroes.
Marc also opened up about the hardships he had to endure in the Russian prison. He shared how "every second, every minute, every day was a challenge" during his time there. Fogel revealed how he spent more than 100 days in a hospital and was subjected to being injected at least 400 times.
He described his time in Russia as "extremely trying" while adding that he would require time to process what he had gone through. Fogel concluded while noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "very generous and statesmanlike" for pardoning his sentence.
Trump also addressed Fogel's homecoming and labelled it as a "big catalyst" for putting an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. "I think there's goodwill in terms of the war," he explained.
Trump reportedly made a promise to Fogel's mother during his presidential campaign last year. Marc's family previously have spoken up about how former President Biden's government "abandoned" him in Russia.
"I had to get him back home because I would've had big trouble with his mother," Trump joked light heartedly. Fogel's family spoke to CNN while thanking the President for his "unwavering" leadership.
The family also spoke about how the time that Marc was gone was the "most painful" time of their lives. They shared how his coming home will help them begin healing.
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