Russia has agreed to release an American who was arrested on drug charges earlier this month at a Moscow airport as talks begin between U.S. and Russian officials.
Kalob Byers was arrested on Feb. 7 after being found with a small amount of marijuana at a Moscow airport, but the detained American was released as a goodwill gesture ahead of the talks that began Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, according to the New York Times.
Byers was released shortly after Marc Fogel, an American teacher accused of a similar drug-related crime, was released back to the U.S. after being detained in the country since August 2021.
The release of Byers came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in the Middle East to discuss various topics. The State Department billed the meeting as a follow-up to President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s phone call last week.
Officials said they agreed to “establish a consultation mechanism” to address troubles as they work toward normalization of diplomatic missions, appoint teams to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, “lay the groundwork” for working in mutually beneficial areas after the war ends, and keep talks going on ending the war.
“President Trump wants to stop the killing; the United States wants peace and is using its strength in the world to bring countries together. President Trump is the only leader in the world who can get Ukraine and Russia to agree to that,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement Tuesday.
“One phone call followed by one meeting is not sufficient to establish enduring peace. We must take action, and today we took an important step forward,” Bruce added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his displeasure at his absence from the talks, arguing that an agreement cannot be reached without Ukraine’s participation.
“We can’t recognize any things or any agreements about us without us,” Zelensky told reporters Monday.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The meetings were attended by Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, on the U.S. side, and Lavrov and Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, on the Russian side.
Previously, Zelensky said that Putin’s fear of Trump could lead to the Russian president being forced to the table for a peace deal.
