Trevor Reed is hospitalized but is in 'high spirits' and 'flirting with nurses' at top health clinic after he was freed by Russia in dramatic prisoner swap
- Trevor Reed has been hospitalized after his return to the United States on Thursday following his release from Russian prison Wednesday
- Reed's condition is unknown, but his family told Good Morning America on Friday that his spirits were high and that he was 'flirting with nurses'
- Reed appeared emaciated and weak during Wednesday's prisoner exchange. He had been hunger-striking his recent move to solitary confinement in prison
- The former Marine had been imprisoned in Russia since 2019 after he was accused of assaulting a police officer. He has always denied the charges
- Trevor Reed has been hospitalized but is in 'high spirits' after his return to Texas on Thursday after being freed in a prisoner swap with Russia.
Reed's family told Good Morning America on Friday that they spent a few hours with the former Marine at the hospital yesterday.
'It's excellent - considering all he's been through,' Reed's sister said, 'He's telling stories, he's flirting with the nurse staff.'
It is not clear why he has been hospitalized, but it is believed to be due to a hunger strike he had been waging in Russia to protest his solitary confinement.
Reed looked emaciated and frail in images from the prisoner swap, and appeared to need support from personnel involved in the swap to stand and walk.
Reed's parents reported in March he had told them he was coughing up blood after being exposed to tuberculosis, and the Russians had not given him adequate medical treatment.
His family told Good Morning America that they were unaware of the specifics of his condition.
'We don't have a whole lot of answers yet, he's getting some testing done,' his mother said, 'He's at a top notch facility getting great care but we won't know more for a few days.'
Reed was detained in Russia in 2019. He was accused of assaulting a police officer while visiting his girlfriend in the country - something he has always denied.
After the Reed family plead for their son's return for years, the U.S. took advantage of the current heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia to negotiate a prisoner swap.
In return for Reed's freedom, the U.S. agreed to return Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year federal prison sentence in Connecticut for smuggling drugs.
Reed's parents credit President Biden above all else for their son's return.