• Updated

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.