Russia releases imprisoned American Marc Fogel in what US calls a step toward the end of Ukraine war

WASHINGTON (AP) — Marc Fogel, an American history teacher who was deemed wrongfully detained by Russia, has been released and returned to the U.S. in what the White House described as a diplomatic thaw that could advance negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said Wednesday that a Russian citizen was freed in the United States in exchange for Moscow’s release of American Marc Fogel, but it refused to identify him until he arrives in Russia “in the coming days.”

Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for President Donald Trump, left Russia with Fogel and brought him to the White House late Tuesday, and Trump welcomed him home.

“I feel like the luckiest man on Earth right now,” Fogel said as he stood next to Trump with an American flag draped around his shoulders.

Fogel, who is from Pennsylvania, has spoken with his wife, his two children and his 95-year-old mother, Witkoff said at the White House on Wednesday. He declined to disclose Fogel's whereabouts.

Fogel also was shown the famous Lincoln Bedroom, a second-floor room in the White House once used as an office by President Abraham Lincoln. A handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address, signed by Lincoln, is displayed on a desk in a corner of the room.

Trump said another American, someone “very special,” would be released on Wednesday, though he declined to name the person or say from what country.

The president declined to say if he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Fogel, but Fogel praised the Russian leader as “very generous and statesmanlike in granting me a pardon.”

Asked about the terms of the deal, Trump said: “Very fair, very, very fair, very reasonable. Not like deals you’ve seen over the years. They were very fair.”

He did not say what the United States exchanged for Fogel’s release.

Witkoff on Wednesday gave some of the credit to Mohammed bin Salman, saying Saudi Arabia’s crown prince was “instrumental” in the negotiations.

“He has a very strong friendship with President Trump, and, behind the scenes, he was encouraging and pushing and looking for the right result. It was helpful, it really was," Witkoff said.

Asked if the crown prince was pushing the Russians, Witkoff said he was more of a “cheerleader.”

“He was a cheerleader for this rapprochement where the two leaders would come together, and that’s what happened, so thank God," Witkoff said. "Sometimes you don’t get a good result. Here we got a very good result. Mark Fogel is the evidence of that.”

Fogel was arrested in August 2021 and was serving a 14-year prison sentence. His family and supporters said he had been traveling with medically prescribed marijuana, and he was designated by President Joe Biden’s administration as wrongfully detained in December.

Michael Waltz, Trump's national security adviser, said the U.S. and Russia “negotiated an exchange” to ensure Fogel's release. He did not say what the U.S. side of the bargain entailed. Previous negotiations have occasionally involved reciprocal releases of Russians by the U.S. or its allies.

Waltz said the development was “a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.” Trump, a Republican, has promised to find a way to end the conflict.

Trump also has talked about having a good relationship with Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Last month, Trump said his administration was having “very serious” conversations with Russia about the war.

Speaking to reporters at the White House earlier Tuesday, Trump said, “We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually. I hope that's the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war.”

Asked whether the U.S. had given up anything in return, Trump replied “not much” but did not elaborate.

Fogel's relatives said they were “beyond grateful, relieved and overwhelmed” that he was coming home.

“This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal,” they said. "For the first time in years, our family can look forward to the future with hope.”

The U.S., Russia and other nations carried out a large prisoner swap in August that resulted in the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and American corporate security executive Paul Whelan, among others.

But that deal left out numerous other Americans jailed in Russia, including Fogel. Some omitted then were also not included in Tuesday’s release, including several who have had major milestones in their cases since then.

Among them is U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Khavana, who was convicted of treason in a Russian court shortly after last August’s prisoner swap and sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine. John Kirby, a national security spokesman at the Biden White House at that time, called the conviction and sentencing “nothing less than vindictive cruelty.”

Last October, American Robert Gilman was sentenced to more than seven years in prison in Russia for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers while serving a sentence for another assault, while American Stephen Hubbard was sentenced to prison in a closed trial for allegedly fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.

As the Russia-Ukraine war nears the end of its third year, Trump's plan for securing an end to the conflict remains unclear, though he has said that both sides will need to make concessions and suggested that Ukraine would have to accept the loss of at least some territory.

Fogel’s release and Trump’s announcement that he will send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Kyiv for talks with Ukraine’s leaders could signal that plans may be beginning to take shape.

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy for Russia and Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, all later this week will attend the Munich Security Conference, where the situation in Ukraine will be a major topic of discussion.

Kellogg told The Associated Press on Monday that he and the others would be talking to European officials about the very broad outlines of what Trump would like to see and gauging their interest.

“We will deliver our expectation to the allies,” Kellogg said. “When we come back from Munich — we want to deliver to the president the options, so when he does get (directly) involved in the peace process, he knows what it will look like for him.”

Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Michelle L. Price, Darlene Superville and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

Steve Witkoff watches as Secretary of State Marco Rubio applauds as President Donald Trump, accompanied by Marc Fogel, speak in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

Marc Fogel holds an Iron City Beer as he speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House with President Donald Trump, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Marc Fogel, speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Marc Fogel, speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump greets Marc Fogel at on the South Lawn at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump greets Marc Fogel at on the South Lawn at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Media film in front of Malphine Fogel's home after a press conference about her son, Marc Fogel, who was a Russian detainee for three and a half years and is now on his way home, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Butler, Pa. (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

Malphine Fogel, 95, sits with Sasha Phillips, not pictured, Counsel with Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, as they talk during a press conference on her son, Marc Fogel, who was a Russian detainee for three and a half years and is now on his way home, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Butler, Pa. (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

Malphine Fogel, 95, left, sits with Sasha Phillips, Counsel with Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, as they talk during a press conference about her son, Marc Fogel, who was a Russian detainee for three and a half years and is now on his way home, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Butler, Pa. (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

Malphine Fogel, 95, talks with Sasha Phillips, not pictured, Counsel with Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, during a press conference on her son, Marc Fogel, who was a Russian detainee for three and a half years and is now on his way home Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Butler, Pa. (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - Family members, friends and colleagues of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021, rally for his release outside of the White House, July 15, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

FILE - Ellen Keelan, center, and other family members rally outside the White House for the release of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021, July 15, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

FILE - A drawn portrait of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021, hangs on rails outside of the White House during a demonstration organized by his family, July 15, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday approved a ban on Glock switches and other conversion devices that convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns, after a deadly year that included multiple mass shootings.

A bipartisan coalition pushed the Alabama legislation after several multiple mass shootings last year, including the shooting deaths of four people outside a Birmingham nightclub in September. The devices are already banned under federal law, but there’s currently no state law that bans them.

The Alabama Senate voted 24-2 to accept the House of Representatives changes to the bill. The measure now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who is expected to sign it after calling for its passage in her State of the State address.

“Passing gun safety legislation in Alabama is not easy. But the hard work of building a bipartisan coalition has resulted in the passage of this life-saving legislation,” said state Rep. Phillip Ensler, a Montgomery Democrat, who had urged the measure for three years.

“While laws cannot bring back victims of gun violence, this ban can help save lives moving forward,” he said.

Republican state Sen. Will Barfoot of Pike Road sponsored the bill that was approved this year. Possessing or selling the devices would be a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The measure will take effect immediately if it is signed into law.

The devices are banned under federal law and in 23 states, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Supporters said a state ban will allow local law enforcement to prosecute people for the possession of the devices. Police say the devices produce a rapid, hard-to-control spray of bullets that increase the number of casualties during a shooting.

The bill passed without significant opposition, a rare consensus on gun legislation in the deeply red state. Alabama lawmakers in 2022 voted to end the requirement to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public.

Alabama has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the U.S. In 2022, there were 1,278 gun-related deaths in Alabama, which was the fourth-highest gun death rate in the country, ranking below Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico.

FILE - Nichole Smith signs a memorial sign Sept. 23, 2024, remembering the four people who were killed in a shooting outside a nightclub in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Safiyah Riddle, File)

FILE - Alabama Governor Kay Ivey visits the sidelines during an NCAA football game between Troy and Arkansas State, Oct. 7, 2023, in Troy, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)