Russia Frees US Citizen Stephen Hubbard As Trump Envoy Meets Putin

Russia has released a 74-year-old American citizen, Stephen Hubbard, who was jailed for allegedly fighting for Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin met United States envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg.

Putin announced Hubbard’s release during a meeting with Witkoff early on Wednesday, saying the American had been taken to Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg.

US President Donald Trump later confirmed the development, saying Hubbard was “on his way back home” and that “there was no ‘swap’ necessary”.

Trump said the release followed a request he “made directly” to Putin last week.

Hubbard, a former teacher from Michigan, was sentenced to almost seven years in a Russian penal colony in 2024 after being accused of serving in a Ukrainian defence unit in Izyum, eastern Ukraine.

He was reportedly captured by Russian forces shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The US State Department had previously classified Hubbard as “wrongfully detained”, while Trump suggested on Tuesday that his release could be imminent.

“Watch what happens,” Trump told reporters, adding that “we have been focused ⁠on Hubbard”.

CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner, reported that Hubbard had been in poor health and was expected to be flown to Texas for medical treatment.

Witkoff praised Putin for releasing the American citizen during their meeting in St Petersburg.

“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian – you are a humanitarian also sir, and I salute that. I commend you,” he said.

Hubbard was later seen thanking Witkoff during a separate meeting. Putin’s financial adviser, Kirill Dmitriev, was also present.

Trump also appeared to defend his recent decision to suspend sanctions against Russia two days before they were due to take effect, suggesting that the move helped facilitate negotiations for Hubbard’s release.

Writing on social media, the US president said that “if sanctions would have been placed”, negotiations for Hubbard’s release “would have come to a complete and total halt”.

The release comes amid renewed diplomatic engagements between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine and other areas of bilateral cooperation.

Witkoff, who attended talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo on Tuesday, also urged Putin to consider several proposals agreed upon during the Norwegian meeting.

The proposals reportedly included the resumption of trilateral peace talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine to find a lasting solution to the war.

Putin has not publicly indicated whether Moscow would accept the proposals.

The Russian leader has so far rejected proposals from Ukraine and its European allies to freeze the extensive front line and begin peace negotiations.

As the meeting in St Petersburg progressed, Zelensky wrote on social media that “much depends on whether the American side can hear something new from Russia today – about peace, and not about continuing the war”.

Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the discussions covered the outcome of the Oslo talks, with Witkoff reportedly presenting documents “outlining approaches to the peace process”.

The talks also addressed the situation surrounding Iran, a possible meeting in China and economic cooperation between Washington and Moscow.

Putin reportedly said Russia could supply large quantities of fertiliser to the American market.

Russian state media reported that the meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted more than three hours.

During the meeting, Witkoff thanked Putin for an agreement reached between Washington and Moscow earlier in October to import Russian diesel, saying Trump was “deeply grateful” for the arrangement.

Putin said the first shipment under the agreement would leave Russia “in two to three days”, according to state news agency TASS.

The diesel deal has angered Zelensky and contributed to worsening relations between Washington and Kyiv in recent weeks.

The diplomatic tensions have also coincided with Trump’s decision to suspend some sanctions against Russia and his call for Ukraine to elect a new leader.

Ahead of the US midterm elections in November, Trump has also sought to blame rising fuel prices, which have increased since the beginning of the US-led war on Iran, on Ukrainian attacks against Russian energy infrastructure.

Kyiv, meanwhile, accused Washington of halting intelligence sharing on deadly Russian strikes, alleging that the move had cost Ukrainian lives. Washington rejected the accusation as “scandalous”.

Ukraine also alleged that a sudden restriction to the Starshield internet service had been deliberately imposed, affecting its military operations.

Zelensky said on Tuesday that intelligence sharing between Washington and Kyiv had resumed following his meeting with Witkoff in Oslo.

A US official described the discussions as “constructive”.