US citizen Stephen Hubbard freed by Russia, Trump says

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American citizen and former school teacher from Michigan, has been released from Russian custody and is on his way back home, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday. Hubbard, who is in poor health, was taken to Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg following talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and White House envoy Steve Witkoff at the Constantine Palace.

The release comes after Trump said he made a direct request to Putin last week. According to the White House, no prisoner swap was required for the release, which Trump attributed to respect for his presidency. The U.S. State Department had previously classified Hubbard as wrongfully detained.

What happens next for Stephen Hubbard and his family?

Following his release at Pulkovo Airport, Hubbard was expected to be flown to Texas for medical treatment at a military hospital, according to CBS News. Hubbard had spent more than four years imprisoned in Russia after being captured by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Prosecutors accused him of serving in a defense unit and manning a checkpoint for mercenaries in the city of Izyum. In 2024, following a closed trial, he was sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony.

Hubbard's family had maintained his innocence and had little contact with him during his detention. His release follows the return of American Robert Gilman, who was freed from Russian custody in August after his health deteriorated to a life-threatening condition, as well as the releases of American school teacher Marc Fogel early last year, and journalist Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan in a 2024 multi-country prisoner swap.

How is this release connected to US diesel imports and sanctions?

Hubbard's freedom coincided with high-stakes diplomatic talks in Russia led by Witkoff, which also centered on U.S. efforts to end the war in Ukraine. During the meeting at Constantine Palace, Putin announced that the first shipment under a new deal for Washington to import Russian diesel would leave Russia in two to three days.

Your decision to remove export controls on diesel oil from Russia, not just to the US but also to the world at large in the midst of an economic shock, I think that was really important that that happened.

Steve Witkoff, White House envoy, via BBC News

The diesel agreement follows Trump's decision last week to waive several sanctions on Russia just before they were due to take effect. That move drew praise from Putin but faced harsh criticism from members of Congress, including some Republicans. Trump later defended the decision on Truth Social, writing that critics had called to apologize once they realized he was negotiating Hubbard's release, adding that the diesel deal and the American's freedom constituted a major agreement for the U.S.

Why did the diesel deal cause friction with Ukraine?

The agreement to import Russian diesel severely strained relations between Washington and Kyiv, infuriating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The fallout included a tumultuous few weeks during which Trump suspended several Russian sanctions and publicly stated it was time for Ukraine to elect a new leader. Kyiv accused Washington of halting intelligence sharing on deadly Russian strikes, which Ukrainian officials said caused citizens to lose their lives. Washington rejected that allegation as scandalous.

Relations showed signs of recovery on Tuesday when Zelensky announced that intelligence sharing had resumed following positive talks between Kyiv and Witkoff in Oslo. Russian state media reported that Witkoff thanked Putin in St. Petersburg on behalf of Trump both for Hubbard's release and for the diesel agreement.

Who else remains detained in Russia?

Among those still imprisoned is Aleksandr Antonov, who was arrested in Russia last year and sentenced to six years in prison. Antonov's family argues he was targeted solely for being a U.S. citizen and has urged the State Department to prioritize his case, which has been the subject of internal debate within the agency.

The Trump administration previously established a designation for countries deemed state sponsors of wrongful detention, granting the State Department authority to impose sanctions and travel restrictions. That measure has been applied to Iran and Afghanistan, though Russia has not been placed on that list.