Bangladesh, Feb. 12 -- In a move that has ignited speculation about the future of US-Russia relations, President Donald Trump praised Moscow for its “very nice” handling of the release of American citizen Marc Fogel, a former US Embassy employee who had been serving a 14-year sentence on drug-related charges. Trump described the exchange as a “very fair and reasonable deal,” implying that the US gave little in return. On February 12, Trump shared a video post on his X platform and wrote, “WELCOME HOME, MARC.”

The Kremlin has yet to comment on the specifics of the release, but the White House framed it as a “show of good faith,” signaling that diplomatic backchannels may be operating to defu...