President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet during a summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov – Pool – AFP / Getty Images)
By V. Saxena October 21, 2026 at 7:36am
Thanks to President Donald Trump’s recent involvement, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan who’s been incarcerated in Russia since 2022 has finally been released and is on his way home to America.
The release of Stephen James Hubbard from Russian custody came after Trump “made a direct appeal” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as reported by The New York Times.
According to a Truth Social post published by the president, who just months earlier had arranged the release of another American from Russian custody, the United States gave up nothing in return for Hubbard.
“The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return — an unprecedented situation for Russia,” he wrote. “There was no ‘swap’ necessary for this release.”
President Donald J. Trump announces the release of Stephen Hubbard, taken four years ago by Russia during the Biden Administration.
Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/EsMPLkeYbO
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 21, 2026
The president continued by arguing that Hubbard’s release should have been orchestrated long ago by his predecessor.
“This major return should have taken place long ago through the Biden Administration, which got nowhere in its negotiations with the Kremlin,” Trump wrote. “Stephen is on his way back home.”
The actual transfer was coordinated by the president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who traveled to Russia on Wednesday to meet with Putin and oversee Hubbard’s release from Russian custody.
Witkoff expressed gratitude to Putin during the exchange, according to a readout of the meeting reviewed by ABC News.
“I want to thank you very much,” he told the Russian leader, going so far as to describe Putin as “a humanitarian.”
“The president sends his thanks. Because of you, he’s going home to his family.”
Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen who was jailed in Russia for more than four years after being accused of fighting for Ukraine, has been released from custody.
During a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Witkoff thanked him for freeing the American…
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 21, 2026
Hubbard was teaching English in the Ukrainian town of Izyum when Russia captured the city in April of 2022, according to Reuters. Though Ukrainian forces later retook the city, Hubbard had already been captured.
After a closed trial, a Russian court convicted Hubbard of being a mercenary and sentenced him to nearly seven years in Russian prison.
“Prosecutors said Hubbard had joined a Ukrainian territorial defence unit, received training, weapons and ammunition, and was promised $1,000 a month,” according to Reuters. “Russian state media said he had pleaded guilty to the charges he faced.”
His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, has long cast doubt on Russia’s accusations by noting that her brother held pro-Russian views.
Do you think President Trump’s involvement was crucial for Hubbard’s release?
Meanwhile, Hubbard’s lawyer, Martin De Luca, told Reuters in June 2025 that Hubbard had told him the charges were totally bogus, and that Russian forces had simply grabbed him from his home.
Hubbard’s release comes amid the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. In an additional Truth Social post, President Trump defended his recent decision to lift sanctions against Russia by arguing that his imposing additional sanctions would have prevented Hubbard’s release.
Numerous people, who requested that sanctions be immediately imposed on Russia, have called to apologize to President Trump in that they didn’t know that he was negotiating the release of Stephen Hubbard, a truly big and important deal for the U.S. If sanctions would have been placed, certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt.
( TS: Oct 21 2026, 6:49 AM ET )
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 21, 2026
The New York Times said in their report concerning his release that Trump has “repeatedly sided with Russia and sidelined Ukraine” in recent days.
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V. Saxena is a seasoned conservative news writer and commentator with a decade of experience in the industry. When not at work, he can be found working out or tending to his popular bird feeder.
