{"id":618,"date":"2026-10-21T13:46:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T13:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/21\/russia-frees-american-prisoner-after-over-4-years-during-a-u-s-envoy-visit-national-globalnews-ca\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T13:46:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T13:46:17","slug":"russia-frees-american-prisoner-after-over-4-years-during-a-u-s-envoy-visit-national-globalnews-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/21\/russia-frees-american-prisoner-after-over-4-years-during-a-u-s-envoy-visit-national-globalnews-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia frees American prisoner after over 4 years during a U.S. envoy visit – National | Globalnews.ca"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Russia on Wednesday freed an American who had been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, in a deal completed during a visit by a top U.S. envoy and at a time when President Donald Trump has taken a series of actions meant to benefit Moscow.<\/p>\n

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Trump said in a Truth Social post that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call last week to free Stephen Hubbard, and that, unlike previous releases, his had not required the U.S. to give up anyone in return.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome home, Stephen, it\u2019s great to have you back,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher from Michigan, was on his way home following a visit to St. Petersburg by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who also held talks with Putin about Moscow\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.<\/p>\n

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Hubbard was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison following a closed trial. Prosecutors said he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and that he fought alongside Kyiv\u2019s forces until being captured two months later. The U.S. government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tThe release came amid Trump moves to benefit Russia\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Witkoff, a key Trump administration figure who has tried without success to steer Russia and Ukraine toward a settlement to end a war that will hit the five-year mark in February 2027, thanked Putin for releasing Hubbard, telling him, \u201cBecause of you, he\u2019s going home to his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir,\u201d Witkoff said.<\/p>\n

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media on Wednesday that Hubbard\u2019s release was \u201craised by the American side for a certain time,\u201d and Putin decided to free the man out of \u201chumanitarian considerations.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that general contacts \u201ccontinue on a regular basis between the intelligence services.\u201d<\/p>\n

The release occurred at a dynamic moment in relations between the United States, Ukraine and Russia, with the Washington-Kyiv relationship being roiled by fresh tensions at the same time that the Trump administration has advanced policies that aid Putin.<\/p>\n

Those include Trump\u2019s decision last week to waive sanctions on Russia imposed by a bill that Congress overwhelmingly passed to support Ukraine. Named after the late South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, the legislation targeted the flow of financial resources fueling Moscow\u2019s war. That reversal followed Trump\u2019s announcement of a deal to import Russian diesel fuel in a long-shot effort to curb high gas prices ahead of next month\u2019s U.S. midterm elections.<\/p>\n

Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway on Tuesday. He was expected to exchange ideas from that meeting, as well as proposals from European and American colleagues, in his talks Wednesday with Russian leaders in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n

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