Russia has agreed to free Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American citizen who was imprisoned after being accused of fighting on behalf of Ukraine, according to official reports. Following his release, Hubbard was transported to Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg, as Russian state media reported during talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
US President Donald Trump stated on social media that Hubbard was returning home and emphasized that no prisoner exchange was required to secure his freedom. Trump noted that the release came after a direct request he made to Putin during the previous week. The US State Department had previously designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained.
Hubbard, a former educator originally from Michigan, received a sentence of nearly seven years in a penal colony in 2024. Russian prosecutors claimed he had served in a defense unit in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum, where he was captured by Russian forces shortly after Moscow initiated its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Reports from US media indicate that Hubbard has been experiencing health issues and is expected to travel to Texas for medical care.
Diplomatic Exchanges and Fuel Agreement
During the meeting in St Petersburg, Russian state media reported that Witkoff expressed gratitude to Putin for Hubbard’s release and for a recent commercial arrangement between Washington and Moscow regarding Russian diesel exports. Putin confirmed that the initial shipment under the agreement is scheduled to depart Russia in two to three days. Witkoff publicly highlighted the removal of export controls on Russian diesel oil as an important step amid global economic pressures.
The energy arrangement recently sparked criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, leading to heightened tension between Kyiv and Washington. Ukrainian officials previously expressed concerns over a temporary pause in intelligence sharing regarding Russian military strikes, though Zelensky confirmed that information sharing has since resumed following discussions with US representatives in Oslo.
Source: BBC News
