President Donald Trump said Tuesday night that the conditions were “very fair” in the agreement with Russia to release American schoolteacher Marc Fogel from a Russian prison.
The Trump administration has now revealed who they had to exchange in order to gain Fogel’s release.
From The New York Post: Trump agreed to release Russian bitcoin fraud suspect in exchange for Marc Fogel
President Trump swapped Russian prisoner Alexander Vinnik in exchange for the release of American teacher Marc Fogel, an administration official confirmed to The Post Wednesday.
Vinnik was arrested back in 2017 in Greece and extradited to France and the US to face charges of fraud and money laundering. For six years prior to Vinnik’s arrest, he had been in charge of the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange — which funneled more than $9 billion worth of transactions.
In December 2020, Vinnik was convicted by a French court of money laundering and sentenced to five years in prison. In May 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering before a San Francisco federal judge.
“We view this as a very fair deal. We are not trading the Merchant of Death for a basketball player,” a White House official told The Post, referring to former President Joe Biden swapping basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout.
BREAKING: American citizen among 3 detainees released from Belarus
From Fox News: An American is one of three hostages released from Belarus, the White House has announced.
The announcement comes just moments after President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for around 90 minutes on the phone on Wednesday, Fox News has learned.
Those discussions included the Russian leader agreeing to “immediately” begin negotiations over the war in Ukraine.
The New York Post further reported that Adam Boehler, the US special envoy for hostages, told reporters outside the White House the American released from Belarus wishes to remain anonymous.
Dep. Asst. Secretary of State Chris Smith on the release of an American citizen detained in Belarus: “A huge win — and a response to President Trump’s Peace through Strength agenda.” pic.twitter.com/YH2edS3L4R
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 12, 2025
WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING: WED. FEB. 12, 2025
Watch below, as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt provides an update on the Trump administration and responds to questions from reporters.
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