{
  "id": 15766239,
  "title": "NYT: Trump’s envoys plan to meet Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday and seek the release of an American held in Russia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/nyt-trumps-envoys-plan-to-meet-putin-in-st-petersburg-on-wednesday",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-20T16:41:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/20/nyt-trump-s-envoys-plan-to-meet-putin-in-st-petersburg-on-wednesday-and-seek-the-release-of-an-american-held-in-russia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21, according to The New York Times. The purpose of the meeting is to advance their efforts to \"show the benefits of deal-making with Mr. Putin\" by securing the release of a long-held American citizen from a Russian prison. The Times does not disclose the name of the individual being sought for release.\n\nThe only American currently classified by the U.S. State Department as \"wrongfully detained\" in Russia is Stephen Hubbard. Hubbard, who is 72 years old, was sentenced to six years and 10 months in a penal colony in October 2024 on charges of being a mercenary. He fought for the Ukrainian armed forces in the Izium region of Ukraine's Kharkiv province during the conflict with Russia in 2022. Hubbard was captured by Russian forces in April 2022 and later put on trial. The State Department had previously called on Russia to release Hubbard in April 2025.",
  "summary": "President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to meet with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21, The New York Times reported.",
  "key_points": [
    "Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to meet Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21",
    "Meeting aims to secure release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard from Russian prison",
    "Hubbard sentenced to six years and 10 months in 2024 for fighting with Ukrainian forces in 2022"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Interfax-Ukraine",
        "title": "Zelenskyy ready to meet with Trump’s team as early as this week",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/zelenskyy-ready-to-meet-with-trumps-team-as-early-as-this-week",
        "published": "2026-10-20T08:57:15.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Jon Stewart: Trump waiving Russia sanctions 'insane' and 'incoherent'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/jon-stewart-trump-waiving-russia-sanctions-insane-and-incoherent",
        "published": "2026-10-20T15:13:45.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}