Trump Confirms U.S. Seeks 74-Year-Old Stephen Hubbard's Release From Russia
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 20
Trump Confirms U.S. Seeks 74-Year-Old Stephen Hubbard's Release From Russia
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 20
Summary
Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired Michigan teacher, is the American the United States is trying to bring home from Russia, Trump said Tuesday after previously referring only to a “hostage.”
Trump said he has pressed Vladimir Putin “at length” to free Hubbard and hinted movement could come soon, with envoy Steve Witkoff due to meet Putin on Wednesday in St. Petersburg.
Hubbard was detained in eastern Ukraine in 2022 after Russian forces overran the area and remains the only American in Russian custody classified by the State Department as wrongfully detained.
A Russian court sentenced him in 2024 to 6 years and 10 months for allegedly fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, a charge his family has questioned, citing his longtime pacifist views.
The push to free Hubbard comes as Trump is also pressing Kyiv to consider territorial concessions in a broader effort to strike a deal with Putin over the war.