Trump says he asked Putin to release American Stephen Hubbard

On October 20, US President Donald Trump disclosed to reporters at the Oval Office that he had engaged in discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the plight of Stephen Hubbard, a retired American schoolteacher imprisoned by Moscow. Hubbard, 74, is currently serving a nearly seven-year sentence on mercenary charges. Trump hinted that a resolution to the case might be imminent.

In his remarks, Trump also placed additional pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to negotiate a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, a war that has been ongoing for four years. Trump emphasized that Ukraine must be willing to settle this war, stating that the Ukrainian government has to want to end the conflict.

Trump attributed Russia's continued advancement in the conflict to the country's "big machine" nature, suggesting that Russia is persistent and relentless in its pursuits. Trump was asked about Hubbard's case and asserted that he had been speaking with Putin about the American, who the State Department has deemed to be wrongly detained. Trump advised listeners to hold onto the question about Hubbard for a couple of days, hinting that significant developments could occur soon.