The U.S. President, Donald Trump, has released accused Russian money launderer Alexander Vinnik in exchange for Marc Fogel, a U.S. teacher detained in Russia.
Vinnik, who was arrested in Greece in 2017 after being accused of running a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency exchange linked to drug traffickers and cybercriminals, was extradited to France, where he was sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering.
In 2022, he was extradited from France to the U.S. while his money was seized by the U.S. government.
He is now expected to forfeit the money as part of the agreement, a Trump administration source told CNN on Wednesday.
Vinnik’s legal team had previously lobbied for his release in prisoner swaps, and the Biden administration had considered including him in negotiations for detained Americans like Paul Whelan.
The Kremlin had, in a statement earlier on Wednesday, confirmed that a Russian citizen was freed as part of the deal and will soon return to Russia.
But spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the individual’s identity would be disclosed only after they arrived on Russian soil.
However, U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, who participated in the discussions, told CNN that he was informed of a potential opportunity to secure Fogel’s release just days before the exchange.
“The president directed me to go over there and complete it if we could,” Witkoff said.
According to Witkoff, he travelled to Russia to bring Fogel home, marking the first known high-level U.S. visit to Russia since the Ukraine war began in 2022.
Fogel arrived at the White House on Tuesday night and was welcomed by Trump, who hinted that another American may also be freed soon, as part of the exchange deal.
White House officials clarified that Fogel’s release was not structured as a direct one-for-one exchange.
“The President may consider some nonviolent cases… but this won’t be a simultaneous one-for-one deal,” said Adam Boehler, Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs.
The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that while Fogel’s release was unrelated to the war in Ukraine, Russia’s willingness to negotiate could be a positive signal.
“We don’t just want the war to end; we want it to end in a way that’s sustainable,” Rubio said.
Trump Frees Russian Money Launderer To Rescue Detained U.S Teacher is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
Source: The Whistler
