Russia frees jailed American Stephen Hubbard after Trump appeals to Putin

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russian authorities have released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired Michigan schoolteacher who was jailed on charges of serving as a mercenary in Ukraine, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed Wednesday during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin stated during the talks in St. Petersburg that Hubbard had been brought to Pulkovo Airport to prepare for his journey home, according to Russian state media reports. NBC News reported that Hubbard was the final U.S. citizen classified as wrongfully detained in Russia by the State Department.

The release followed direct appeals from President Donald Trump, who told reporters on Tuesday that he had spoken at length with Putin about Hubbard’s situation. During their meeting Wednesday, Witkoff praised Putin for freeing the detainee, calling the Russian leader a humanitarian and expressing gratitude on behalf of Trump and the nation, CNN reported.

Years in Russian Custody

Hubbard, who spent decades working abroad as an English teacher, had resided in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum starting in 2014. Russian troops captured the area early in the 2022 invasion. Russian prosecutors claimed Hubbard agreed to fight in a local defense unit for roughly $1,000 a month, securing a sentence of nearly seven years in 2024. Hubbard denied the mercenary allegations, and his sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, called the prosecution’s claims a lie, according to CNN.

Hubbard’s health had deteriorated in captivity, CBS News reported, adding that he was slated to be transported to Texas to receive medical evaluation and care.

Diplomatic Push Over Ukraine

Hubbard’s freedom arrived amid an aggressive push by the Trump administration to negotiate a resolution to the war in Ukraine. The White House has faced backlash over moves seen as favorable to Moscow, including a recent diesel agreement and sanctions waivers, even as Washington pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept a settlement.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that Washington wants Zelenskyy to finalize an agreement, complaining that the U.S. had received “absolutely nothing back except grief, death, tremendous monetary loss” despite providing vast support to Kyiv.

Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg following discussions in Oslo, Norway, with Zelenskyy and Nordic leaders. A U.S. official told NBC News that Ukrainian officials presented fresh concepts in Oslo, resulting in meaningful progress. Following those discussions, Zelenskyy stated that critical early-warning intelligence sharing with the U.S. had resumed after recent strains.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Witkoff told Putin that negotiators had established groundwork to end the fighting, presenting outlines for potential agreements. Russian state media quoted Putin as saying an initial shipment of Russian diesel would depart within days under the recent bilateral arrangement, which Witkoff praised during their filmed exchange, the BBC reported.

Uncertain Path Ahead

Major obstacles remain before any comprehensive peace settlement can be reached. Putin has insisted that any face-to-face meeting with Zelenskyy must occur in Moscow only after a deal is finalized, a term rejected by Ukraine. Moscow also maintains demands to control Ukraine’s entire Donbas region.

Fighting continues across the region, with Russian strikes hitting civilian energy targets ahead of winter, killing at least nine people on Wednesday, NBC News reported. Russian officials also reported one death from a Ukrainian strike in the Bryansk border region.