WASHINGTON — President Trump said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin pardoned a US Marine Corps veteran jailed since 2022 without a broader prisoner swap — and that the newly freed Robert Gilman will get a “GREAT cheeseburger” when he lands in the US.
Gilman was serving a 4.5-year prison sentence for allegedly drunkenly kicking a police officer. His family said he was ill and did not mean to kick the cop.
“After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis,” Trump posted on Truth Social along with a photo of Gilman on his flight home.
“We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return — No exchange took place. Robert will land at Andrews Air Force Base, in Washington, D.C., tonight, where my Representatives, some of whom are on the plane with him, will welcome Robert back to THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!”
Trump added: “I just spoke to him, and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands. I will take care of that! During my Administration, we have prioritized bringing home Americans Detained Abroad, and have done so at a level never seen before, returning hundreds of people to their families.”
There are at least 10 Americans jailed in Russia. Trump previously welcomed home Marc Fogel last February. The teacher from Pennsylvania had been serving a 14-year sentence for entering the country with marijuana he said was for medical purposes.
In December 2022, then-President Joe Biden approved a controversial prisoner swap releasing arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” for women’s basketball star Brittney Griner, who had been serving a 9-year sentence for also bringing a small amount of marijuana into Russia.
Biden in August 2024 brokered a larger swap involving 24 people — with the Kremlin releasing 16, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
