The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said Tuesday that Marc Fogel, an American who had been arrested in Russia Since 2021, he was released because the United States has a “strong president” in President Donald Trump.
Rubio made the comments during an appearance in “Hannity” of Fox News.
“We have a great team here … But none of this is possible without President Trump,” said Rubio. “This is the American tenth who has come home after being arrested somewhere abroad in just three weeks. And for the White House, it is an extraordinary achievement. This is what happens when you have a strong president.”
“Look, every time an American arrives home, we should be excited about that. This is a case that languished under the Biden administration, they really didn’t give him priority. And tonight is really a happy occasion. It should be for all Americans, But certainly for Mr. Fogel and his family, “he continued.
The American hostages released Marc Fogel lands in the United States after years in Russian captivity
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, welcomes Marc Fogel to the United States after being released from Russian custody, at the White House on February 11, 2025 in Washington, DC (Photo of Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Fogel, a history teacher who worked at the Anglo -American school in Moscow, returned to the United States after his release from Russia after the conversations with the Trump administration.
I was serving a sentence of 14 years after its arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport to Drug possessionthat his family said he was medically marijuana.
After his arrival in the United States, Fogel, from Pennsylvania, met with Trump at the White House and called him a “hero” for ensuring his release. His family, in a statement, also thanked Trump for his “unwavering leadership” that helped free Fogel.
When journalists asked him if the United States had renounced something in exchange for Fogel, Trump replied “not much” without offering additional details.
Mother of the American hostages released Marc Fogel thanks to President Donald Trump: “He maintained his promise”
Marc Fogel, an American school teacher arrested in Russia since August 2021, the gestures on an airplane that fly back to the United States after the special envoy of the United States Steve Witkoff assured his release on February 11, 2025. (Adam Boehler/Handout through Reuters)
Rubio emphasized the importance of having a strong leader as president by managing sensitive issues with other leaders around the world.
“We have a strong president, I think people forget how important it is,” Rubio told the host Sean Hannity. “At the end of the day, we are dealing around the world with strong leaders. We may not like or what they do, but these are strong leaders who respect strength. And that is what we have with Donald Trump in the White House. And also made a campaign priority.
He also suggested that with Trump in office, the United States government could reach other foreign policy objectives, including the end of the Russian-Ukraine War and the Israel-Ahamas War, which is now under a high fire.
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, greets the American school teacher Marc Fogel, who had stopped in Russia since 2021, at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2025. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)
“I think the reason why this could be linked to so many other things over time is by that force,” said the secretary. “When you have a president who is strong, such as Donald Trump, you will have the opportunity to achieve things, whether in Ukraine and put an end to that war, be it some of the conflicts that we are now seeing in the Middle East or anywhere in the World, because they know he is not playing. “
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“He says he will, and then he does,” Rubio added. “And this is not a president who wasting a lot of time talking about things that he will never do or does not want to do. If he says he will do something, he will do it. And these leaders know it. fruits in a lot of places beyond what we are seeing tonight. “
