SAINT PETERSBURG: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday the release of Stephen Hubbard, an American citizen who was detained by Russian forces in Ukraine, during a meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Russian news agencies reported.
According to the reports, Putin said Hubbard was at Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg. Witkoff, who met the Russian president in the city, thanked him for the release.
Hubbard, a retired English teacher in his 70s, was sentenced in October 2024 to nearly seven years in prison following a closed trial on charges of working as a mercenary for Ukraine. He has denied the allegations.
The announcement came as Witkoff met Putin to brief him on his discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo a day earlier. Witkoff described those talks as “productive”.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had personally asked Putin to release Hubbard.
“I’ve been talking to him at length. I’ve asked him to release him. Let’s see what happens,” Trump told reporters in Washington.
On Wednesday, Witkoff conveyed Trump’s gratitude, saying the US president and the American people thanked Putin over Hubbard’s release. He also described the Russian leader as a “humanitarian”.