Putin Orders US Teacher’s Release as Witkoff Arrives for Talks

President Vladimir Putin ordered the release of an American teacher imprisoned in Russia as he met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Oct. 21 for talks on ending the war in Ukraine and relations with Washington.

Stephen James Hubbard, 74, was preparing to board a flight to the US, the state-run TASS news agency quoted Putin as saying. The Michigan native was taken from his home in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion and sentenced to six years in prison on accusations of fighting as a mercenary for Ukrainian forces. Washington considered him wrongfully detained.

His release followed a personal appeal from President Donald Trump, who said on Tuesday that he had raised Hubbard’s case with Putin ahead of Witkoff’s visit.

“I’ve been talking to him at length. I’ve asked him to release him. Let’s see what happens,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, according to AP.

Witkoff arrived in St. Petersburg on Wednesday morning and was greeted at Pulkovo International Airport by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy. The visit followed months of shuttle diplomacy involving efforts to resolve the wars in Ukraine and Iran.

Jared Kushner did not travel to Russia due to illness but is likely to join the talks remotely, according to media reports. Dmitriev will also take part in the meeting.

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Witkoff’s latest visit marks the US envoys’ first trip to Russia since Sept. 5, when they held three hours of talks with Putin and senior Russian officials in Moscow before traveling to Kyiv for the first time during their tenure.

Moscow has already signaled limits to the discussions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would listen to US proposals but ruled out political concessions, according to TASS.

Witkoff arrived in Russia from Norway, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the meeting as positive, saying Witkoff would relay its outcomes to the Russian side.

Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine and the US had agreed on a series of proposals to end the war during their meeting in Norway, including security guarantees for Kyiv.

He also confirmed that intelligence sharing with the US had resumed and said progress on Patriot interceptors and Starlink restrictions could come within 48 hours.

Notably, hours after Zelensky met Witkoff in Oslo, US President Donald Trump said Ukraine “has to want to make a deal” to end Russia’s war, claiming Washington and Europe had spent “a fortune” on Kyiv and that Europe was tired of the conflict.

Trump also said the US had received “nothing back other than high diesel,” apparently defending his recent moves to ease pressure on Moscow.

Kyiv has repeatedly rejected claims that it is obstructing peace efforts, saying it has supported ceasefire proposals and initiatives from international partners.

Zelensky has offered a full ceasefire and proposed direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while 51 countries signed a joint statement at the UN General Assembly in September urging Moscow to accept an immediate truce.

Russia has rejected such proposals, with Lavrov saying the Kremlin would not pause its war even during potential negotiations.

Tensions between Kyiv and Washington escalated on Oct. 9, when Trump announced a diesel deal with Putin as a Ukrainian delegation was holding peace talks with US officials in Miami.

Zelensky later said Ukrainian officials had been warned that Washington could restrict intelligence sharing if Kyiv continued striking Russian oil facilities.

The Trump administration also reportedly threatened to suspend the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism, which enables European countries to purchase US weapons for Ukraine, including Patriot air defense interceptors.

Trump subsequently called for Ukraine to elect a new president, prompting Zelensky to insist that his removal was a decision for Ukrainians alone.

Kyiv proposed a 60-day ceasefire to allow elections, but Moscow rejected the proposal, offering only a one-day truce. Trump then announced an immediate energy ceasefire on Oct. 11, claiming both sides had agreed to it.

Ukraine signaled its willingness to observe the energy truce and refrained from striking Russian energy facilities, but Moscow continued attacking targets across Ukraine.

Meanwhile, restrictions on Starlink terminals and a week-long suspension of US intelligence sharing reportedly left Kyiv without allied warnings of Russian ballistic missile attacks. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said decisions on military-grade Starshield restrictions rested with the US military and Trump, while the president denied responsibility.