WASHINGTON, October 22. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump called Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s move to release US national Stephen Hubbard, convicted in Russia for fighting for the Ukrainian army, an "amazing thing."
Reporters at Joint Base Andrews asked Trump about his latest phone call with Putin, and the US leader said: "I mentioned, could you let Stephen Hubbard out, please? And he [Putin] agreed to do it." "We appreciate it very much," the US leader added.
Hubbard was convicted in Russia for taking part in combat operations alongside Ukrainian forces. The Moscow City Court sentenced him to six years and ten months in a general-regime penal colony in 2024. He confessed to the charges. The time he spent in custody starting in 2022 was credited toward his prison term.
News of the American’s release came during US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to St. Petersburg yesterday. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS that Putin had made the decision to release Hubbard as a goodwill gesture.