Russia Releases American Stephen Hubbard as Trump Envoy Holds Talks with Putin

POLICY WIRE — St. Petersburg, Russia — Russian state media reported on Wednesday that 74-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard has been released from detention. The development follows a meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin, marking a potential shift in diplomatic relations as Washington pushes for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

According to the TASS news agency, Putin confirmed that Hubbard, a retired schoolteacher who had been held since 2022 on charges of serving as a mercenary, was located at Pulkovo Airport near St. Petersburg. The United States government has not yet provided official confirmation of his release.

The diplomatic maneuver provides a political win for President Donald Trump, who recently disclosed that he personally raised the issue of Hubbard’s detention with the Russian leader. Trump has faced significant domestic and international criticism for his administration’s pivot away from supporting Kyiv, recently stating that the U.S. has provided extensive aid to Ukraine without receiving sufficient returns.

The St. Petersburg summit, which was expected to include virtual participation from Jared Kushner, follows recent negotiations in Oslo involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders from Norway and Finland. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Oslo discussions as positive, he noted that no unexpected breakthroughs occurred.

Despite the ongoing diplomatic outreach, the Kremlin maintains a hardline stance, insisting that any potential meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy must occur in Moscow only after a final deal is reached. Meanwhile, the conflict continues to escalate, with Russian strikes on energy infrastructure resulting in at least nine civilian deaths across Ukraine on Wednesday.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)