Russia releases a 74-year-old American citizen it has detained for years for allegedly fighting with Ukraine

Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a US citizen detained by Moscow for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, in response to a direct appeal from US President Donald Trump. Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher, was detained in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine during Russia's 2022 invasion and charged with fighting alongside Kiev. These charges were described by his family and the US State Department as fabricated.

The announcement of his release coincided with a meeting between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, for talks aimed at strengthening peace efforts in Ukraine. Witkoff thanked President Putin for Hubbard's release, describing him as "a human being with a human spirit," the Russian president against whom an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court, and who is repressing opposition in his country.

A video clip, viewed by the Ofoq News Network, showed a meeting between Hubbard with Witkov and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, on Wednesday, at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg. In the clip, Hubbard appeared standing and walking alone.

His family had previously expressed concern about his health condition. Witkoff conveyed to Hubbard a message from Putin saying: “He is sending you his good wishes.”

While Trump stated that the United States was not obligated to provide anything to Russia in return, Hubbard's release comes at a time when the US President faces accusations of rapprochement with Moscow at the expense of Ukraine. The Trump administration's relationship with Kiev has witnessed tension in recent weeks. Ukraine accused the United States of restricting intelligence sharing about incoming Russian missiles, slowing down vital Starlink services, and delaying weapons supplies.

Kiev's dissatisfaction increased when Trump last week lifted some sanctions imposed on Russia, a move that was met with criticism from both parties in the United States. Trump said in a post on social media on Wednesday that Russia did not ask for anything in exchange for Hubbard's release, "out of respect for President Trump."

But he noted in a later post that “had sanctions been imposed, those negotiations would have completely and completely stopped.” Trump explained that Hubbard's release came in response to a request he personally submitted to Putin, and wrote: "Steven is on his way home and will soon be with his family."

For his part, Joseph Coleman, Hubbard's son, expressed his thanks to Trump and other American officials for their efforts that led to securing his father's release. He said: “We did not lose hope even for a moment, and we always prayed for the success of these negotiations.

We would also like to express our deep appreciation for this humanitarian step taken by President Putin in this regard.”