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The Trump administration is preparing to disclose a Russian cybercrimiral as part of an exchange of prisoners who led to the liberation of an American teacher from a Russian prison, three US officials announced on Wednesday.
The officials were preparing to release Alexander Vinnik, who pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2024, in Russia as part of an exchange of Marc Fogel, according to the three officials. Mr. Vinnik is a non -violent offender and loses tens of millions of dollars in assets in exchange, said one of the officials.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic negotiations.
In an article on his Truth Social website, President Trump said late Wednesday morning that he had just received a “very productive” call with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to start working for a peace agreement between the Russia and Ukraine.
Trump told journalists on Tuesday, when he was waiting for Mr. Fogel’s arrival in the United States, which his administration had exchanged against “not much” – suggesting that he had taken over the agreement – And described it later as a “very just exchange.”
But they saw the exchange as an effort to establish good will when the administration seeks means of provoking a regulation of peace in the war in Ukraine that Russia began almost three years ago.
Mr. Fogel’s release was negotiated by Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s friend who for decades and his Middle East envoy for decades, whose portfolio has spread to find a way to end the war in Ukraine. Mr. Witkoff flew to Russia on his private jet, then brought Mr. Fogel back to this plane and to the White House to meet Mr. Trump.
“I think they had a great friendship”, Mr. Witkoff said Outside the White House on Wednesday, referring to Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump. “I think now it will continue, and I think it’s a very good thing for the world.”
Mr. Witkoff’s visit to Russia was the first by a senior American official since before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 in Russia. The trip, according to two people knowing the events, was part of a new awareness of the Trump administration at the Kremlin, which could lead to the reconstruction of a communication channel between the White House and Mr. Putin.
Fox News host Sean Hannity, who is a close friend of Mr. Trump and Mr. Witkoff, reported on Tuesday that Mr. Witkoff had a meeting with Mr. Putin who lasted more than three hours. Mr. Witkoff refused to respond to this in a separate interview with Fox News on Wednesday morning, but he credited several officials from the Trump administration for helping to work in exchange, including the chief of staff of the White House Susie Wiles and CIA director John Ratcliffe.
Trump appointed Keith Kellogg, a three -star retired general, to be his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. But he also attributed a role to Mr. Witkoff by trying to work on the Russian side of the peace agreement. Witkoff discussed the conflict with some of his contacts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, people who know the case said.
Witkoff told journalists that Mohammed Bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, as well as a “gentleman of Russia, his name is Kirill” to secure the release of Mr. Fogel. Mr. Witkoff seemed to refer to Kirill Dmitriev, the leader of the sovereign fund of Russia, who is a close partner of Mr. Putin, has long favored links With Mr. Bin Salman, and asked for a rear chain to Mr. Trump during his first mandate.
Mr. Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine with talks between the two parties and said that he wanted to stop loss of life by both parties and stem the huge sum of money that the United States have spent supporting the defense of Ukraine.
Zelensky is preparing for key meetings with senior US officials at a large security conference in Germany later this week.
Vinnik was ready to go to Russia early Wednesday on Wednesday, according to one of the US officials. Mr. Vinnik was charged in 2017 to have supervised an exchange of bitcoin on the black market, known as BTC-E, which bleached money. Federal prosecutors said the exchange facilitated ransomware attacks, identity theft and other crimes.
Mr. Vinnik was arrested in Greece in July 2017, and the indictment against him said that he had directed the operations of the exchange.
At the time of the arrest, the Ministry of Justice said that Bitcoin Exchange had turned more than $ 4 billion and had been used by more than 700,000 people. The arrest of Mr. Vinnik led to the exchange, one of the largest at the time, closed.
Mr. Vinnik guilty For a conspiracy to commit money laundering last May. Managers of the Ministry of Justice said that Mr. Vinnik headed the exchange with the intention of promoting cybercrime.
He was recognized, in December 2020, was sentenced by a French court and sentenced to five years in prison. He was extradited to the United States in 2024 and was then detained in American prisons.
Dmitri S. Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said earlier on Wednesday than intense talks between the United States and Russia had led to “the liberation of Fogel as well as one of the citizens of the Russian Federation currently organized in detention facilities in the United States. “He said that Russia would identify the prisoner until his release.
Mr. Fogel, who had spent more than three years in a Russian prison, was welcomed Tuesday evening at the White House by Mr. Trump, whom he congratulated and thanked for organizing his release.
Mr. Fogel, 63, had worked at the Anglo-American school in Moscow for almost 10 years before being arrested at a Moscow airport in August 2021. It was found that he was traveling with cannabis, which , according to his avocado back aid. Mr. Fogel was found guilty in June 2022 for the Russian authorities declared to engage in a “large -scale drug smuggling” and sentenced to 14 years in a high security prison.
The United States Department of State publicly said that Mr. Fogel “wrongly detained” in December. The designation – described by his family so long in suffering – meant that the case of Mr. Fogel moved to a special office of the State Department focused on the release of hostages held abroad.
Mr. Fogel’s family said in December that he had endured “unimaginable difficulties” in prison while other Americans detained in Russia had been brought home to three different prisoners.
The expected liberation of Mr. Vinnik in exchange for Mr. Fogel marks a striking departure of the tight choreography of the exchanges of prisoners between Moscow and Washington during the Biden administration.
In high-level agreements like those who released the Brittney Griner basketball star in 2022 and journalist Evan Gershkovich in 2024, the Americans were transported to airports in a third country, where they were exchanged for Russian On the tarmac.
The delayed approach allowed Trump to win a non-combined victory on Tuesday without discussing what the United States abandoned in exchange for Mr. Fogel.
Trump said that “we were very well treated by Russia” and that the agreement could open the way at the end of the war in Ukraine. He added: “I hope this is the beginning of a relationship where we can end this war.”
Wednesday, Mr. Trump’s warm lyrics to Russia after Mr. Fogel’s release were refined on Russian state television. Russian commentators praised Mr. Fogel’s release as an intelligent step by Mr. Putin to give Trump the political coverage he needs to move forward with policies favorable to Russia.
Sergei Markov, pro-Kremlin political analyst in Moscow, said in a telephone interview by winning the release of Mr. Fogel, “Trump had the right to do something good for Russia.”
Markov suggested that Mr. Trump could start to raise sanctions against Russia and put pressure on a Ukrainian peace agreement according to the conditions of Russia – or simply stop delivering weapons to Ukraine.
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