Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the release of U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard during talks with special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.
Russian forces had taken Hubbard captive and accused him of being a mercenary, a charge he denies. A Russian court sentenced him to seven years in prison following a closed trial in 2024.
Putin said Hubbard had been taken to the airport, while Witkoff said the American was “going home to his family.”
Putin and Witkoff discuss proposals for Ukraine peace
Hubbard’s release was viewed as a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration as the two sides pursue negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
“We’ve brought some papers. They are ideas of a sort of peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, and you can read them at your leisure,” Witkoff told Putin.
Putin proposed that Witkoff discuss restoring bilateral relations between Washington and Moscow and the possibility of a meeting with Trump in Beijing.
The meeting, the ninth between Witkoff and Putin, came a day after Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the talks as “positive.”
“He will now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to St. Petersburg and share them with the Russian side, and let’s see if we can make some progress,” Rubio said ahead of the meeting.
Witkoff to return to Oslo
Witkoff’s meeting with Zelenskyy and other European leaders in Oslo has added momentum to peace efforts more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy remained in Oslo on Wednesday, where he met with members of the Norwegian parliament.
Trump, Russia and Ukraine: Has Washington changed its approach?
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Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Witkoff planned to return to Oslo for further consultations following his trip to St. Petersburg.
“I think we may have entered a phase now where the Russians are also looking for opportunities for diplomacy,” he told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday morning.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was willing to listen but added that he did not expect a “miracle.” U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated on Tuesday that he wanted Zelenskyy “to make a deal.”
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