Russia releases American Stephen Hubbard as US envoy Witkoff calls Putin a ‘humanitarian’

New Delhi: Russia released 74-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard on Wednesday after more than four years in detention, with the announcement made during US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in St Petersburg. The release followed a personal request from the US president, Donald Trump, while Witkoff’s description of Putin as a “humanitarian” sparked criticism from American lawmakers amid Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine.

Witkoff thanked Putin for releasing Hubbard, a retired teacher from Michigan who had been imprisoned since April 2022.
“Because of you, he’s going home to his family,” Witkoff told Putin.

“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir,” he added during the meeting, which was broadcast by Russian state television.

The remarks drew criticism from Republican lawmakers, who questioned the description of Putin amid continuing Russian attacks on Ukraine.

“What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say,” senator Thom Tillis wrote on X, while senator John Cornyn described Putin as a “stone cold killer”. Representative Don Bacon called the remarks “another embarrassment”.

Asked whether he shared Witkoff’s assessment, Trump acknowledged Putin’s role in releasing Hubbard but declined to endorse the broader characterization.

Trump said he had personally requested Hubbard’s release during a telephone conversation with Putin the previous week. He maintained that Washington had given nothing in return and that no prisoner exchange was necessary.

The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin had acted on humanitarian grounds, taking Hubbard’s deteriorating health into consideration. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed that Putin had pardoned the American.

Why Hubbard was imprisoned and what happens next

Hubbard was detained in April 2022 in Izyum, eastern Ukraine, after Russian forces occupied the area. Russian prosecutors accused him of joining a Ukrainian territorial defence unit, receiving military training and weapons, and serving at a checkpoint.
Following a closed trial in October 2024, he was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison for alleged mercenary activity.

His family and US-based lawyer, Martin De Luca, disputed the charges, maintaining that Hubbard had not participated in combat or belonged to a military unit. Washington subsequently designated him as wrongfully detained.

Hubbard’s son, Joseph Coleman, told CNN that his father was in good spirits following his release and had expressed gratitude at regaining his freedom. Coleman thanked Trump and other US officials for securing his release and said he was looking forward to reuniting with his father in Washington.

Hubbard was expected to undergo a US government rehabilitation programme for former detainees at a military facility in Texas. His lawyer, Martin De Luca, told CNN that an immediate meeting with Trump was not planned because of Hubbard’s health, although one could take place in the coming weeks if his condition improved.

His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, told the Associated Press that she had spoken with him following his release and that he was struggling to believe he was free.

The release coincided with renewed diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine war. Witkoff travelled to Russia after meeting the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders in Oslo on Tuesday.

His meeting with Putin focused on proposals for resuming negotiations involving Washington, Moscow and Kyiv. Witkoff described the discussions as constructive, while Russian officials indicated their willingness to resume trilateral talks at the technical level.

Zelenskyy has supported holding negotiations as soon as possible, although no definitive schedule has been announced.

The release also came amid tensions between Washington and Kyiv over military assistance and Trump’s decision to waive additional sanctions against Russia. Trump subsequently argued that imposing the sanctions would have halted negotiations, while maintaining that Washington had given nothing in exchange for Hubbard’s freedom. His remarks did not establish that sanctions relief was a condition of the release.

Hubbard’s release marks a concrete outcome of continuing US-Russia diplomatic engagement, but substantial disagreements over Ukraine remain unresolved and no broader peace agreement has been reached.