An American is one of three hostages released from Belarus, the White House has announced.
The identity of the hostage has not been released as the person wished to remain private, U.S. Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler said.
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.
An American is one of three hostages released from Belarus, the White House has announced. President Donald Trump speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, at the Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
It also comes the day after Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday.
Belarus, formerly part of the Soviet Union, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe and it is closely allied to Russia. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest.
Last month, American Anastassia Nuhfer was released from a Belarus prison. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday announced the release and said that she had been “taken” under the Biden administration.
It wasn’t clear why she was detained, but a former high-ranking Belarusian diplomat indicated that her detention was connected to the 2020 protests in Belarus. The exact nature of her involvement remains unclear.
President Donald Trump welcomes Marc Fogel back to the United Stated after being released from Russian custody, at the White House on February 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania was serving a 14-year prison sentence after being arrested at an airport in Moscow in August 2021 for possessing cannabis, which he reportedly used to treat chronic back pain. He was released earlier today as part of an exchange negotiated by the Trump administration. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.