UPDATE - Russia releases 73-year-old US citizen who fought alongside Ukrainian forces
- Trump says US gave nothing in return, confirms no prisoner swap needed for Hubbard's release
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- Trump says US gave nothing in return, confirms no prisoner swap needed for Hubbard's release
UPDATES WITH STATEMENTS FROM US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, CHANGES DECK, HEADLINE
By Elena Teslova and Yasin Gungor
MOSCOW/ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia has released 73-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was imprisoned in Russia for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, Witkoff said he had met Hubbard's son, a church pastor, several days earlier. Hubbard's son had also thanked Putin for releasing his father.
"I would like to thank you on behalf of our president, and I thank you on behalf of the US. I do so because the Russian Federation has released Stefan Hubbard," he said.
Commenting on the release, US President Donald Trump said Washington "was not required to give anything in return."
"There was no 'swap' necessary for this release," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, calling it an unprecedented situation for Russia.
The US president said Hubbard was freed following a request made directly to Putin, confirming that the American citizen is currently traveling home to reunite with his family.
"Welcome home Stephen, it's great to have you back," Trump added.
The US president said in a separate post that people who previously criticized him for not imposing sanctions Russia were unaware that discussions were underway to secure Hubbard's freedom. He noted this "truly big and important deal" would "have come to a complete and total halt" if he did put sanctions on Russia.
Hubbard was sentenced by the Moscow City Court on Oct. 7, 2024, to six years and 10 months in a penal colony after being convicted of participating in hostilities alongside the Ukrainian armed forces.
According to Russian court proceedings, Hubbard pleaded guilty to the charges. His time in pretrial detention since April 2022 was credited toward his sentence.
Trump on Tuesday revealed that he had asked Putin to release Hubbard.
Muhammed Yasin Güngör,Elena Teslova