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Russia Frees American Stephen Hubbard As U.S. Envoy Praises Putin, Drawing GOP Backlash
Russia freed American Stephen Hubbard on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026; state media said he was at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff began talks.[1]
Witkoff confirmed the release and thanked President Vladimir Putin during the meeting, calling him "a humanitarian" in remarks that were later widely criticized.[2] President Trump said on Truth Social he had asked Putin to free Hubbard and asserted the release required no U.S. prisoner swap.[3] Hubbard is 74 and is a retired Michigan schoolteacher who served in the National Guard and Air Force.[1] He was captured in eastern Ukraine in 2022 and is expected to be flown to a Texas military hospital because of poor health.[1]
Hubbard spent more than four years in Russian custody after his capture and was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years on mercenary charges.[4] The State Department had designated him wrongfully detained while roughly 10 other Americans, including some dual nationals, remain in Russian custody.[1]
Early coverage framed the release as a humanitarian gesture linked to recent Trump administration steps that eased pressure on Moscow, including a waiver of new sanctions and relaxed diesel import rules.[3] Later reporting shifted to focus on Witkoff's praise of Putin and the sharp Republican backlash that followed.[2] Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg to present proposals aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, and the Kremlin said any talks would take a long time.[5]
Show source details & analysis (7 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old Michigan native and retired schoolteacher who served in the U.S. National Guard and Air Force, was captured in eastern Ukraine in 2022, spent more than four years in Russian custody and was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years on mercenary charges; he had been the last American formally designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department while about 10 other Americans (including dual nationals) remain in Russian custody (Stephen Hubbard).
- On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Russian state media and President Vladimir Putin announced Hubbard had been freed and was at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff began talks there; Witkoff confirmed Hubbard’s release during the visit (Pulkovo Airport).
- Hubbard is expected to be flown to a military hospital in Texas for treatment because of poor health, and his family — which had little contact during his detention — has maintained his innocence of Russian allegations that he acted as a mercenary (Texas military hospital).
- President Trump said in a Truth Social post he had asked Vladimir Putin in a phone call the previous week to free Hubbard and asserted the release required no U.S. prisoner swap; PBS links the timing of the release to recent Trump administration steps benefiting Russia, including waiving sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Act and easing rules on Russian diesel imports (President Trump).
- U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, to present proposals aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, told Putin he hoped to include Ukraine in trilateral talks, and the Kremlin said any talks would take a long time while signaling a possible meeting among Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping (Steve Witkoff).
- During the visit Witkoff praised Putin — calling him 'a humanitarian' and thanking him for Hubbard’s release — prompting GOP backlash from Republicans including Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Don Bacon, who called the remarks embarrassing and criticized praising Putin as Russia has intensified strikes on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure (Steve Witkoff).
📰 Source Timeline (7)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
October 21, 2026
2:57 PM
Witkoff blasted for calling Putin a "humanitarian"
New information:
- On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, in St. Petersburg, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff told Vladimir Putin that he was 'a humanitarian also' and said, 'I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again,' in reference to Stephen Hubbard's release.
- The remarks occurred during Witkoff's visit aimed at moving toward a resolution of the Ukraine war, which began with Russia's invasion four and a half years earlier.
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis posted 'WTF, Steve?' on X, called Witkoff's praise 'embarrassing and outrageous,' and argued he should ask Ukrainian families of kidnapped and murdered children whether Putin is a humanitarian.
- Republican Sen. John Cornyn responded on X that 'Putin is a stone cold killer,' while GOP Rep. Don Bacon called Witkoff's comments 'another embarrassment.'
- The article notes that Russia has intensified strikes on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure in recent weeks to try to cripple the power grid before winter.
- The backlash is linked to President Trump's recent decisions to waive new sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act and to ease sanctions on Russian diesel imports, steps that critics say reduced pressure on Moscow.
1:15 PM
Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard after over 4 years in prison, during a visit from U.S. envoy Witkoff
New information:
- PBS reports that Stephen Hubbard was freed on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, in a deal completed during U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to St. Petersburg.
- President Trump said in a Truth Social post that he asked Vladimir Putin in a phone call the previous week to free Hubbard and asserted that, unlike prior releases, this one did not require the U.S. to give up anyone in return.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Hubbard’s release had been raised by the American side for some time and that Putin decided to free him on “humanitarian considerations,” adding that intelligence contacts between the countries continue regularly.
- PBS explicitly links the timing of Hubbard’s release to recent Trump administration steps benefiting Russia, including last week’s decision to waive newly imposed Russia sanctions under the Lindsey Graham Act and a separate move to import Russian diesel fuel.
- The article reiterates Hubbard’s profile as a 74‑year‑old former teacher from Michigan who prosecutors said signed a contract with the Ukrainian military in 2022, was captured two months later, and was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison after a closed Russian trial.
12:19 PM
Witkoff says he hopes Ukraine included in U.S., Russia talks
New information:
- On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg to discuss proposals on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would study, warning talks would take a long time.
- Russian officials told state media that progress toward a negotiated resolution is "theoretically possible" but depends on Ukraine's leaders making unspecified "necessary decisions," and said the situation for Ukraine would worsen if it did not do so.
- Russian officials told Witkoff that a meeting between President Trump, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping is "possible," aligning with a trilateral summit idea the White House has floated and Ukrainian officials have opposed as sidelining Kyiv.
- Video from the October 21 meeting shows Witkoff saying he hoped to discuss resuming trilateral talks including Ukraine, but the Kremlin signaled no change in Russia's demands before the talks.
- In a Fox News interview aired October 21, 2026, Zelenskyy said trilateral talks involving himself, Trump and Putin are his preferred route to peace and vowed not to accept a settlement crafted solely by the U.S., Russia and China, stating, "Don't talk about us without us."
- Zelenskyy said any negotiated end to the war would require approval by Ukraine's parliament.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Witkoff held "positive" talks with Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, and would relay those ideas to the Russians.
- After the Oslo meeting, Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for restoring advance intelligence warnings on incoming Russian strikes and described that early-warning cooperation as "very, very important" for civilians.
- Zelenskyy told Fox News that Ukrainian access to Elon Musk's Starshield satellite network remains "limited" but said Rubio is working on restoring full access.
- Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on October 21 that Witkoff planned to return to Oslo for further consultations after Russia and that he believes Russia may now be looking for diplomatic options.
11:43 AM
Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard
New information:
- CBS reiterates on October 21, 2026, that Stephen Hubbard has been freed by Russia after being accused of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine.
- The segment emphasizes that the U.S. Department of State designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained while he was in Russian custody.
- CBS identifies that its intelligence and national security reporter Olivia Gazis and White House producer Kristin Brown provided additional on-air details about the circumstances of his detention and release, though these are not fully transcribed in the article text.
10:20 AM
Russia releases imprisoned U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard following Trump's request
New information:
- NPR confirms that on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Vladimir Putin announced Stephen Hubbard had been freed and was already at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg as talks with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff began.
- The article specifies Hubbard is a 74-year-old from Michigan who was detained by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine in 2022 and later sentenced in a closed Moscow trial in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison on mercenary charges.
- NPR notes that Hubbard had been formally designated wrongfully detained by the U.S. government under the Biden administration prior to his release.
- The piece underscores that Hubbard's release comes as President Trump has lifted some sanctions on Moscow and openly criticized Ukraine while the U.S. pursues negotiations to end the war.
9:40 AM
American Stephen Hubbard released by Russia, Witkoff says
New information:
- On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Russian state media reported that Stephen Hubbard had been released and was at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg.
- U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg for talks with Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials, confirmed Hubbard’s release and thanked Putin during their meeting.
- Hubbard, a 74-year-old Michigan native and retired schoolteacher who served in the U.S. National Guard and Air Force, is expected to be flown to Texas for treatment at a military hospital because of poor health.
- The article notes Hubbard was the last American in Russia formally designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department, though approximately 10 other Americans, including dual nationals, remain in Russian custody.
- Hubbard spent more than four years jailed after being captured in Ukraine shortly after Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion and was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in a penal colony on mercenary charges.
- The release comes days after President Trump invoked a national-interest waiver on some Russia sanctions that were to take effect, a move praised by Putin and criticized by members of Congress, including Republicans.
- The article recounts that Hubbard’s family had little contact with him while detained and has maintained his innocence regarding Russian allegations he manned a checkpoint for mercenaries.
October 20, 2026