Stephen Hubbard Freed by Russia After Trump's Request

Stephen Hubbard is finally free. The seventy-four-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, held in Russia for more than four years, was released on Wednesday after a direct request from President Donald Trump, according to CNN.

The release landed on the same day Washington's envoy met Vladimir Putin, which is why everybody is asking what, if anything, Moscow got in return. Here is what we know so far.

Who is Stephen Hubbard?

Hubbard spent decades abroad as an English teacher and moved to the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum in 2014. When Russian forces occupied the city at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, he was captured, per CNN.

Russia accused him of fighting as a mercenary for Kyiv. His family and the US State Department both called the charges fabricated, and Washington designated him as wrongfully detained.

Think about that timeline for a second. A man in his seventies spent more than four years in a Russian prison for a case his own government says was made up. His relatives had voiced worries about his health for a long time.

How the handover happened

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Hubbard at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg after the release. A video shared with CNN shows Hubbard standing and walking on his own, which is a relief given those health fears. Witkoff also met Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev there.

Witkoff told him that Putin "sends you blessings and wishes you good things," CNN reported. A US official said Hubbard was out of Russia and heading home, and Trump spoke with him shortly after he was freed.

Hubbard's son, Joseph Coleman, thanked Trump and other officials. He also said the family deeply appreciated what he called a humanitarian move by Putin.

Did Russia get something in return?

Trump said the United States was not required to give Russia anything. He wrote that Russia did not demand anything "out of respect for President Trump." In a separate post he added that if sanctions had been placed, the negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt, according to CNN.

That detail matters because the release lands amid criticism. CNN notes that Trump waived some sanctions against Russia last week, a move that drew bipartisan pushback at home. Witkoff also thanked Putin for agreeing to send diesel to the US after Trump lifted a ban, according to the Associated Press.

Calling Putin a "humanitarian" is also not going down smoothly online. Putin is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, and critics say the praise hands him a propaganda win.

The bigger Ukraine talks

The Hubbard news came out of a busy day. After a three-hour meeting with Witkoff, Putin agreed "in principle" to resume three-way talks with Washington and Kyiv after November tenth, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters, the Associated Press reported. It would be the first such round since February.

Ushakov said those talks would focus on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends. He also said the proposals from a meeting in Oslo the day before contained little of real value, though he later called them a step in the right direction.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, told Fox News that freezing the conflict is the minimum needed right now. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he wants Zelenskyy to make a deal.

On the battlefield nothing paused. Ukrainian officials said overnight Russian attacks on Kyiv left three people dead and twelve wounded, per the Associated Press.

Other Americans still held in Russia

Hubbard is the latest American freed from Russian detention. In August, Marine veteran Robert Gilman was released on humanitarian grounds amid severe health worries, CNN reports.

Several others remain behind bars, including Andre Khachatoorian, David Barnes, Aleksander Antonov, Olga Jezler and Chuck Zimmerman. A State Department spokesperson said officials hope the release leads to freedom for all Americans unjustly held in Russia.

The spokesperson also noted that right now no Americans are formally determined to be wrongfully detained there. Advocates will probably keep pushing on that definition.

What to watch next

Witkoff plans to return to Oslo for more consultations, Norway's prime minister said. Keep an eye on whether the November talks really happen and whether more prisoner releases follow.

For Hubbard's family, the diplomacy can wait. For everyone else, the story shows how personal cases and giant geopolitical bargaining can get tangled together. For more, see our world coverage.