Days after returning to U.S. soil, an American recently released from Russian prison met with President Donald Trump at the White House.
The 76-year-old retired teacher and now ex-prisoner, Stephen Hubbard, was jailed in Russia in 2022 after being accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine early in the two counties’ war.
“I spoke to President Putin and they said we’ll let him come back,” said Trump. “We had a plane and we arrived a couple of days ago, and I know you’ve been treated very well. I hope you’ve been treated very well… But he’s been through a lot.”
Hubbard’s release came after four and a half years in prison, coinciding with Trump’s partial lifting of sanctions against Moscow.
Those sanctions have not been reimposed.
