# Russia Frees American Stephen Hubbard

> Putin releases US captive Stephen Hubbard during talks with Witkoff.
- Title: Russia Frees American Stephen Hubbard · Dw | Shortify
- Summary: Putin releases US captive Stephen Hubbard during talks with Witkoff. Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a US citizen detained as a mercenary, after Trump…
- Keywords: russia, stephen hubbard, putin, steve witkoff, ukraine, peace deal, sanctions, news, world, politics, Frees, American
- Source: Dw — https://dw.com/en/russia-frees-jailed-american-stephen-hubbard-during-witkoff-talks/a-79719452?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: russia, stephen hubbard, putin, steve witkoff, us, ukraine, peace deal, sanctions, news, world, politics
## Russia releases US captive
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the release of US captive Stephen Hubbard during talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.
## Hubbard detained as mercenary
Hubbard had been taken captive by Russian forces on charges of being a mercenary, which he denies. He was sentenced to seven years in prison at a closed trial in 2024.
## Trump requested release
US President Donald Trump later said he had made the request directly to Putin during a phone call last week.
## Trump's release claim
The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return, an unprecedented situation for Russia, Trump claimed in a post on his Truth Social platform.
## Trump's apology claim
Trump also claimed that numerous people had called him to apologize after they criticized him for suspending a new round of sanctions, which he said was a necessary concession.
## Peace deal discussions
Witkoff told Putin that they had brought some papers for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, which he said would be read at their leisure.
## Kremlin rejects proposals
After the talks, the Kremlin said that Witkoff's proposals lacked substance and would not be of real use for a potential peace settlement.
## Putin agrees to talks
Putin agreed in principle to resume peace talks with Russian, Ukrainian and American delegates after November 10.
## Key takeaway

Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a US citizen detained as a mercenary, after Trump requested his release directly from Putin.