Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the release of an American from a Russian jail on Wednesday. The move coincided with a meeting in St Petersburg with Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump had asked Putin to free Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher. Hubbard spent more than four years in Russian jails after being accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. Russia freed Hubbard unilaterally rather than through a prisoner exchange.
Writing on social media, Trump said the release followed a direct request made to Putin last week. The United States was not required to give anything in return, according to the US president.
During their meeting at the grand Constantine Palace, Witkoff praised Putin and described the Russian president as a humanitarian. You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian, you are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, Witkoff told Putin. He also conveyed Trump’s thanks for a deal to resume Russian diesel exports to the US.
Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court as a war criminal over the deportation of Ukrainian children. More than 17,500 civilians have been confirmed killed in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, according to the United Nations.
Witkoff travelled to Russia from Oslo, where he had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders a day earlier. Witkoff told Putin during a televised portion of their meeting that he brought papers containing ideas for a peace deal.
The visit was Witkoff’s ninth trip to Russia since Trump tasked him with brokering an end to the conflict. Relations between Washington and Kyiv have faced strain following Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel and his calls for Zelenskyy to be replaced.
Zelenskyy stated on Tuesday that Washington had resumed providing advance warnings of Russian missile attacks following the Oslo meeting. Ukraine still faces restrictions on the Starshield satellite network.
The Kremlin stated after the meeting that it was open to new three-way peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US in Abu Dhabi. These discussions would focus on security guarantees for both Ukraine and Russia once the war concludes.
Putin also discussed potential economic ties, suggesting Moscow could increase fertiliser exports to the US. Russian officials announced that the first tanker carrying diesel to the US would depart on Thursday. The discussions also touched on a possible meeting in China next month between Putin, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
