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U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, left, holds a paper while speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Konstantin Palace in Strelnya, outside St. Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026.
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Russia has released an American who was jailed for over four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff announced the release Wednesday during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Stephen Hubbard, from Michigan, was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. Prosecutors said he fought with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The U.S. government under President Joe Biden's administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained. The release comes as President Donald Trump advances policies that aid Putin, including waiving sanctions on Russia.
Russia has agreed to resume three-way negotiations next month with Washington and Kyiv aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. A Kremlin official made the statement Wednesday following a meeting in St. Petersburg between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. The move potentially sets up the first such talks since February. Putin agreed “in principle” to restart the talks after Nov. 10. They will focus on security for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends. Witkoff's meeting with Putin took place as U.S. President Donald Trump pushed Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.
