Russia Releases 74-Year-Old American Stephen Hubbard

Russia released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American retired teacher from Michigan who had been imprisoned since 2022 and sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years for allegedly fighting as a mercenary with Ukrainian forces. Hubbard denied the allegation, and the United States had designated him as wrongfully detained. President Donald Trump said he personally asked Vladimir Putin to free Hubbard and claimed no prisoner exchange was involved. During a meeting in St. Petersburg, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff thanked Putin for the release and called him a “humanitarian,” drawing condemnation from Ukrainian lawmakers and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis; one Ukrainian lawmaker called for Witkoff to resign. Trump defended easing sanctions on Russia as necessary to sustain negotiations, and Putin agreed in principle to resume trilateral talks with the United States and Ukraine after Nov. 10.