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Putin hosts Trump envoy for new Ukraine peace talks, frees US citizen held in Russia

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired US school teacher who had been held in Russia on mercenary charges, has been released.

Putin hosts Trump envoy for new Ukraine peace talks, frees US citizen held in Russia

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old former US schoolteacher, has been released from Russian custody. President Vladimir Putin welcomed US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff at a grand palace in St Petersburg on Wednesday for discussions on ending the war in Ukraine. This marks the ninth such meeting between the two leaders. Putin also announced that Hubbard would be freed upon his arrival in the United States.

The talks come amid criticism that the United States is weakening support for Ukraine. The last meeting included talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US allies, and NATO representatives. Witkoff will present new ideas to Putin in the hope of achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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