The United States is actively working for the release of a retired American teacher held for four years by Russia, President Donald Trump said Tuesday, confirming the identity of the person Washington has been trying to free.
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Stephen Hubbard, 74, is a Michigan native who was living in eastern Ukraine in 2022 when it was overrun by Russian forces and he was detained. He is the lone American in Russian custody whom the State Department classifies as wrongfully detained.
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff plans to meet Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian leader’s hometown of St. Petersburg. Trump has previously said the U.S. was seeking to free a “hostage” from Russia but hadn’t confirmed the person’s identity until Tuesday.
Asked about Hubbard in the Oval Office, Trump said: “Just stick with me. I don’t want to talk about it. But everybody’s been after Hubbard for a long time, long before I got here. And just remember that question for a couple of days from now, okay?”
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“I’ve been talking to President Putin about Mr. Hubbard. I’ve been talking to him at length,” Trump added. “I’ve asked him to release him. We’ll see what happens, okay? Let’s see what happens. I’d love to get him back. It’s time. It’s time. It’s time to have Mr. Hubbard back.”
A Russian court sentenced Hubbard in 2024 to six years and 10 months in prison after he was accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, Russian state media reported at the time. Hubbard was accused of joining a Ukrainian territorial defense unit at the time of the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022. Russian media said that he pleaded guilty to the charges — which his family questioned, citing what they said were his longtime pacifist views.
The effort to free Hubbard comes as Trump pressures Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to make a deal with Putin by handing over territory that Russia has not been able to conquer, a move that the Ukrainians believe would amount to defeat.
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