"We're very honored to have him back with us," US President Donald Trump told reporters Friday. "He suffered greatly but we're very appreciative to a lot of people," Trump added, saying no deal had been made with Turkey on lifting US sanctions in exchange for Brunson's release, according to Reuters.
The US pastor was detained in 2016 over his alleged ties to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey holds responsible for orchestrating the failed military coup earlier that year. The pastor was released from prison in late July 2018, only to be moved to house arrest.
Earlier on Friday, a court in Izmir sentenced Brunson to more than three years in prison but released him from house arrest, saying he would not have to serve any more jail time.
The Turkish economy has been struggling due its depreciating national currency, lira, which has fallen by nearly 40 percent against the US dollar since the beginning of the year amid the deterioration in the relations between Ankara and Washington.
In September, Turkey's economic confidence index took a nosedive to its lowest level in nearly 10 years. This marked the most significant decrease in the country's economic confidence since the 2008 financial crisis.
On Thursday, media reported that the United States and Turkey had struck a secret deal to have the pastor released in exchange for Washington easing economic pressure on Ankara.
