ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — A 74-year-old American teacher held in Russian custody for more than two years was freed on Wednesday as U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ABC News reported.
Stephen Hubbard, a retired teacher from Michigan who was detained in eastern Ukraine in April 2022, was released and moved to Pulkovo Airport, according to a Kremlin readout cited by ABC News. Witkoff met directly with Putin to oversee the release and hold discussions regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Praise for Putin During Prisoner Release
According to the Kremlin readout, Witkoff expressed gratitude to Putin on behalf of President Donald Trump for releasing Hubbard, telling the Russian leader, “Because of you, he’s going home to his family.”
“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian,” Witkoff told Putin, according to the readout. “You are a humanitarian also, sir.”
Hubbard’s sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, told ABC News that she learned of the development from news reports and thanked Trump for securing his return. She said her brother would be transported to a military base in San Antonio for medical assessment.
Trump stated on social media that he personally requested Hubbard’s release during a telephone call with Putin last week. Trump asserted that the United States did not need to offer any prisoner swap in exchange, calling the arrangement an unprecedented outcome, ABC News reported. The president also defended his recent move to lift multiple sanctions on Russia, writing that negotiations over Hubbard would have stopped completely had sanctions remained in place.
Diplomatic Push for Trilateral Ukraine Talks
Hubbard had lived as a civilian in Ukraine since roughly 2014, working as an English teacher before his capture, according to family members. A Russian court sentenced him to nearly seven years in prison after authorities charged him with serving as a mercenary for Ukrainian forces. The U.S. State Department categorized Hubbard as wrongfully detained, and his family rejected the criminal charges as baseless.
U.S. officials told ABC News that Witkoff’s visit came as the White House sought agreements to free several other American citizens detained in Russia on questionable accusations.
Beyond the prisoner release, Witkoff and Putin discussed diplomatic initiatives to end the conflict in Ukraine, which began when Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Witkoff said he hoped the meeting would advance the “resumption potentially of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States,” and spoke positively about potential future economic ties between Washington and Moscow.
The Guardian reported Wednesday that Russian officials indicated an openness to restarting trilateral discussions with Washington and Kyiv, even as they criticized newly presented proposals.
Intensifying Pressure on Kyiv
Witkoff arrived in Russia immediately after visiting Oslo on Tuesday for negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Those discussions focused on potential ceasefire frameworks.
The diplomatic shuttle occurs as the Trump administration increases pressure on Kyiv to negotiate an agreement with Moscow. Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump complained that the U.S. had received nothing in exchange for providing hundreds of billions of dollars in support to Ukraine, remarking, “We want Zelenskyy to make a deal.”
Zelenskyy posted on social media Wednesday that much of the peace effort hinges on whether the American delegation hears anything new from Moscow regarding an end to the fighting rather than its continuation.
