US envoy Steve Witkoff thanks Vladimir Putin for diesel deal at Ukraine talks in Russia

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American citizen and former teacher, has been released from a Russian prison. The news of his release came during a meeting between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Witkoff expressed gratitude on behalf of President Donald Trump and the American people. The US president had requested Hubbard's release during a phone call with Putin earlier in the week.

Hubbard, who served in the US Air Force and National Guard, was convicted in Russia of mercenary activity for allegedly fighting on Ukraine's side in 2024. He was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison. His release marks a positive development in the efforts to establish a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Witkoff reported that talks with Ukrainian and European representatives in Oslo were productive, and they made progress in the negotiations. He expressed hope that a ceasefire could be successfully achieved. Stephen Hubbard, a resident of Big Rapids, Michigan, had lived in Cyprus and Izium in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine before his arrest.

His sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, questioned the reports that her brother had pleaded guilty, describing him as someone with pro-Russian views who was unlikely to take up arms at his age. The United States State Department designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained in January 2025.