Special US envoy Steve Witkoff left Russia with Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, and they landed back in the US at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday night, according to the White House.
They were expected to head to the White House, with Fogel to be reunited with his family by the end of the day.
Fogel was arrested in August 2021 and was serving a 14-year prison sentence. His family and supporters said he had been travelling 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 US and Russia "negotiated an exchange" to ensure Fogel's release. He did not say what the US side of the bargain entailed. Previous negotiations have occasionally involved reciprocal releases of Russians by the US 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 Russian President Vladimir 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 on 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 US 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 US, 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.
Among them is US-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."
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.
with Reuters
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