Putin Meets US Envoy Witkoff in Saint Petersburg, Announces Release of American Prisoner
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Saint Petersburg, announcing the release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard while discussions continued on ending the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Saint Petersburg with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, in another effort to advance a settlement to end the war in Ukraine. During the meeting, Putin announced the release of 74-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been held in a Russian prison for over four years after being accused of fighting as a mercenary alongside the Ukrainian army.
Simultaneously, the Kremlin delivered a warning message to Kyiv, cautioning that if Ukraine fails to make the necessary decisions within the framework of the talks, its situation will only worsen. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that progress toward a settlement is theoretically possible, but emphasized that it largely depends on the decisions made by Kyiv.
Trump quickly celebrated the development on Truth Social, framing Hubbard's release as a personal achievement. Hubbard, a retired English teacher from Michigan, was arrested in April 2022 after Russian forces captured the city of Izium during the early stages of the invasion. According to the Russian prosecution, Hubbard signed a contract with the Ukrainian army, participated in combat, and was later convicted in a closed trial.
The dramatic release was only part of the agenda at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Saint Petersburg. Witkoff presented Putin with the results of his talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, and European representatives. This marked the ninth face-to-face meeting between Putin and Witkoff in an effort to bridge deep gaps between Moscow and Kyiv.
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