US envoy Steve Witkoff secured the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American citizen detained in Russia, during talks with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday morning.
Hubbard had been sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in a penal colony after Russian prosecutors accused him of joining a Ukrainian military unit. He was captured in 2022 shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His sister previously told Reuters the charges were unlikely given his age and lack of military interest.
Putin told Witkoff that Hubbard had been taken to Pulkovo Airport. Trump said the former teacher was "on his way back home" and stressed there was "no 'swap' necessary." CBS News reported Hubbard had been in poor health and was expected to be flown to Texas for treatment.
Witkoff praised Putin as a humanitarian during their meeting, drawing swift criticism from Republican lawmakers. Representative Don Bacon called it "another embarrassment," and Senator John Cornyn said Putin "is a stone cold killer." Vice President JD Vance defended Witkoff's approach, saying his job was "to go over there and get a job done" and that results mattered more than rhetoric.
Trump claimed he had requested Hubbard's release directly from Putin the previous week. He also defended his decision to suspend sanctions on Russia two days before they were set to take effect, writing that had sanctions proceeded, negotiations "would have come to a complete and total halt."
The State Department classified Hubbard as "wrongfully detained" and said his release was "a welcome step" toward freeing all Americans held in Russia. A State Department statement said there are currently no Americans determined to be wrongfully detained there.
Hubbard's son, Joseph Coleman, an Orthodox priest, said he had prayed for years for his father's release and received the freedom "not as a political victory, but as a gift of mercy."
The meeting came as Witkoff handled broader negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. The envoy also thanked Putin for an agreement to import Russian diesel into the US, with the first shipment expected to leave Russia in two to three days. Trump has sought to lower fuel costs ahead of November midterm elections.