President Donald Trump promises Robert Gilman ‘a great cheeseburger’ as Kremlin releases former U.S. Marine after four years in detention
Former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman was released from Russian custody and returned to the United States after more than four years in detention, President Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social. Trump said the release came on a “humanitarian basis” following his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that Russia asked for no one in return, meaning no prisoner exchange took place.
Trump revealed that he had personally spoken with Gilman before his flight home and that the returning Marine had a simple request. “I just spoke to him and he had one request — A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands,” Trump wrote in his post on Truth Social. Trump added that he would personally see to it that Gilman got his wish.
Gilman arrives back on U.S. soil
Gilman, a 32-year-old Marine veteran and teacher from Lowell, Massachusetts, was expected to arrive at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff welcomed him and described the moment as significant. Witkoff wrote on X that he had the “profound privilege” of welcoming Robert Gilman home and praised Trump for securing his release, saying Gilman could “finally return to his family and receive the medical care he needs.”
Gilman was then expected to travel to Texas, where he would be evaluated and treated at a U.S. military hospital. Eric Lebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, the advocacy group that worked to secure his release, said Gilman would undergo medical and psychological assessments. His family, including his mother, traveled to Texas to be with him.
How the release came together
Trump said Russia agreed to release Gilman “very much on a Humanitarian Basis” following his discussions Putin. A U.S. official said Putin approved a pardon.
Trump also credited Witkoff, hostage envoy Adam Boehler and counterterrorism official Sebastian Gorka for helping secure Gilman’s freedom. He emphasized that Russia asked for nothing in return, distinguishing the case from previous high-profile prisoner exchanges between Washington and Moscow.
The State Department confirmed Gilman’s release on August 11 and credited Trump and Witkoff. A department spokesperson said, “Thanks to the hard work of President Trump and Special Envoy Witkoff, Mr. Gilman joins over 100 Americans whom the United States has freed during President Trump’s second term in office. This Administration will continue to work for the release of all Americans unjustly detained in Russia, including wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard.”
The department also confirmed that Gilman had been designated a wrongful detainee.
The Trump administration had raised Gilman’s case with Moscow before his release. A State Department spokesperson told CBS News the previous week that, given his health concerns, the administration “has raised his case repeatedly with the Russian government and has requested his release on humanitarian grounds.”
Russian authorities have not publicly commented on Gilman’s release or his declining health in custody. Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service also did not respond to a request for comment.
Family reaction
Gilman’s sister, Lexie Hudson, credited Trump and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey with helping secure her brother’s release in statements distributed by Global Reach.
“There is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action,” Hudson said. She thanked Markey “for leading our advocacy efforts in Congress.”
She also described the treatment Gilman received in Russian custody. She said, “The Russians treated my brother so badly. They hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine. What did they get out of this? Why did they do this to such a wonderful person?”
Hudson said she was eager to see her brother after years apart.
“I am looking forward to seeing Robert. I haven’t been able to speak with him once since this all began,” she said, adding, “We will make sure that he gets the treatment and support that he needs.”
Before his release, Hudson had expressed fears for his life. She said, “I’m more afraid for my brother than I have been since this horrible nightmare started.”
The case that kept Gilman in Russia for years
Gilman was convicted in 2022 of beating a police officer after being removed from a train for causing a disturbance in Voronezh. His family disputed that account, saying he became ill during the encounter rather than intentionally assaulting the officer.
Reports have differed over the length of his sentence. Some cited a three-and-a-half-year term, while others said it was later extended to roughly a decade after additional convictions involving alleged confrontations with prison staff.
Gilman’s lawyer, Irina Brazhnikova, told the Russian news agency Interfax that he had been held in the psychiatric ward of a civilian hospital.
The account was consistent with earlier reporting from Global Reach, which said Gilman had spent weeks in a “dissociative stupor” before being transferred from a prison hospital.
Concerns over Americans detained in Russia
Gilman’s case comes amid broader concerns about Americans held in Russian custody.
Arrests of U.S. citizens in Russia have increased in recent years, raising concerns that Moscow could use detained Americans as bargaining chips in negotiations for Russians convicted of crimes in the United States and Europe.
The State Department specifically cited Stephen Hubbard, another American classified as wrongfully detained in Russia, in its statement on Gilman’s release. His case and those of other detained Americans remain diplomatic priorities for the administration.