Detained American Stephen Hubbard’s Son Reacts as Russia Releases Him After 4 Years

Hubbard released from custody

Putin announced Hubbard’s release during his meeting with Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. Putin said Hubbard was at the airport, while Witkoff said he was returning to his family.

Trump describes request and talks

Trump later said he had directly asked Putin to release Hubbard during a phone call the previous week. He said Russia had not required anything in return and that there had been no prisoner swap.

In another post, Trump said people who had criticized his decision to suspend a new round of sanctions had apologized. He argued that imposing the sanctions would have stopped negotiations.

Peace proposals draw mixed response

Witkoff said he had brought Putin ideas for a possible Russia-Ukraine peace deal. After the meeting, the Kremlin described the proposals as lacking substance and unlikely to help produce a settlement.

Further diplomatic discussions considered

Putin also suggested that Witkoff discuss restoring relations between Washington and Moscow. The release was viewed as a goodwill gesture while the countries considered a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ushakov said preparations were under way for a possible first meeting among the leaders of China, Russia and the United States in Beijing, involving Putin, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.