US citizen Stephen Hubbard freed by Russia as Trump envoy meets Putin

21 October 2026, 10: 22 BST. Updated 4 minutes ago.

Key points

• Stephen Hubbard has been taken to Pulkovo Airport, Putin remarked during the gathering early on Wednesday, according to Russian state media.
• Hubbard was sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony in 2024.
• As "wrongfully detained" and the US president had suggested on Tuesday that his release may be imminent, the US State Department had previously classified Hubbard, from Michigan.
• Kyiv meanwhile accused Washington of halting intelligence sharing on deadly Russian strikes, causing Ukrainians to lose their lives – an allegation Washington rejected as "scandalous".
• After discussions with Witkoff in Oslo described by the US as "positive", the Ukrainian president remarked on Tuesday that such information sharing had resumed.

As President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg for negotiations, russia has published a 74-year-old American citizen who was jailed for allegedly fighting on behalf of Ukraine.

President Donald Trump afterwards stated the former teacher was "on his way back home" and "there was no 'swap' necessary".

Hubbard was sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony in 2024. He was accused of serving in a defence unit in the eastern city of Izyum when he was captured by Russian forces, shortly after Moscow introduced its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Writing on social media after Russian state media documented the release, Trump stated it had followed a request he "made directly" to Putin last week.

Some other releases of detained Americans from Russia have been obtained through prisoner swaps.

"Watch what happens, " Trump remarked to journalists, "we have been focused ⁠on Hubbard".

CBS News, the BBC's US media partner, documented that Hubbard had been in poor health and was anticipated to be flown to Texas for treatment.

Russian state media documented that Witkoff had thanked Putin for Hubbard's release and, on Trump's behalf, for the agreement struck with Washington earlier this month to import Russian diesel.

As quoted by state news agency TASS, the first shipment under the agreement will leave Russia "in two to three days", Putin remarked during the gathering.

Notably, the diesel accord infuriated Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. It triggered a tumultuous few weeks of deteriorating relations, during which Trump suspended a number of Russian sanctions – claiming they would hinder his efforts to broker peace – and stated it was time for Ukraine to elect a new leader.

As discussions were under way in St Petersburg, Zelensky wrote on social media that "much depends on whether the American side can hear something new from Russia today – about peace, and not about continuing the war".

Russian state news agency Ria Novosti documented that the US and Russia discussed the outcome of the Oslo negotiations and that Witkoff had brought documents "outlining approaches to the peace process".

They additionally discussed the "situation surrounding Iran", a feasible session in China, and economic cooperation with the US, with Putin reportedly stating that Russia could provide substantial quantities of fertiliser to the American market.

Witkoff was filmed by Russian TV saying the diesel accord was an example to Ukraine of what could be achieved by working together.

"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, " he informed Putin. "I know is deeply grateful for it."

For now, US citizen Stephen Hubbard freed by Russia as Trump envoy meets Putin remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.