Trump Welcomes Freed Stephen Hubbard at White House

President Donald Trump welcomed Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired Michigan teacher, to the Oval Office on October 30, 2026, after Hubbard's release from more than four years in a Russian prison. Russia accused Hubbard of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. Trump said he asked Vladimir Putin directly in a phone call and that the United States gave nothing in return. Hubbard told reporters he had reached the point where "seeing is believing" and "actions speak louder than words," adding he "wouldn't have lasted another year." Trump said it was an honor to have Hubbard and his family standing before the Declaration of Independence. Before reporters, Trump said that while negotiating for Hubbard, "stupid people wanted me to put sanctions on Russia." Hubbard replied that "Russians laugh at these sanctions" and that they "would all laugh" if Trump had imposed sanctions after asking for his return. Trump's Truth Social post said the release came at his request to Putin, with no swap, and should have taken place long ago. Hubbard is the second American freed from Russian custody in about two months, after Marine veteran Robert Gilman in August. Left-rated coverage noted the release was announced during envoy Steve Witkoff's meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg and that Trump appeared to link a sanctions exemption to the effort; he has not reimposed sanctions since. About two dozen Americans remain imprisoned in Russia, according to the Foley Foundation.