Trump secures release of US citizen jailed in Russia since 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow has freed US citizen Stephen Hubbard, 74, who was jailed in 2022 on charges he denies, following a plea from President Donald Trump. Hubbard was reportedly at St Petersburg airport awaiting a flight back to the US with envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff flew to Russia to review new ideas on ending the Ukraine war, as allies worry Trump is shifting away from Kyiv. Trump said he spoke to Putin about Hubbard, who was declared wrongfully detained, and pressed Ukraine to settle the conflict, saying Russia has the upper hand. Ties with Kyiv have been strained by Trump's October 9 decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports, with Ukraine reporting disruptions to intelligence sharing and satellite systems, though a Tuesday meeting between Zelensky and Witkoff in Oslo reportedly reached an agreement to resolve those issues.