Russia on Wednesday released an American who had been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, in a deal reached during a visit by a top U.S. envoy and at a time when President Donald Trump has taken a series of actions meant to benefit Moscow.
The White House said Trump had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call last week to free Stephen Hubbard, and that, unlike previous releases, his had not required the U.S. to give up anyone in return.
Hubbard was sentenced after a closed trial in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. Prosecutors said he had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and that he fought alongside Kyiv’s forces until being captured two months later. The U.S. government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained.
Comments