President Donald Trump said he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, an American serving a Russian prison sentence after a disputed conviction over alleged service with Ukrainian forces.
Trump said on Oct. 20 that he had asked Putin to release Hubbard: “I’ve asked him to release him.” The White House pool report recorded no agreement. Trump gave no terms or firm release date, while hinting at a possible update in a couple of days.
Hubbard, 74, has been in Russian custody since April 2, 2022, according to an August 2026 letter from U.S. senators. The Moscow City Court sentenced him Oct. 7, 2024, to six years and 10 months in a general-regime penal colony for mercenary activity. The court said Hubbard joined an Izyum territorial defense battalion and received $1,000 a month. Reuters reported that prosecutors described the amount as a promised monthly payment.
Hubbard’s family and lawyer dispute the military-service account. ABC News reported that Hubbard was born in Big Rapids, Michigan, and his sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox, said he taught English in Japan for about 25 years. Fox told ABC News, “Steve was an English teacher.” Hubbard’s U.S.-based lawyer, Martin De Luca, told Reuters that Hubbard denied belonging to a military unit.
Hubbard was living in Izyum when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Russian forces took the city that spring, and Ukraine retook it in September, after Hubbard was already in custody, Reuters reported. Russian state media alleged Hubbard was manning a Ukrainian military checkpoint. De Luca told Reuters that Hubbard said Russian soldiers took him from his home; Reuters said it could not independently establish how he was detained.
An August 2026 letter from U.S. senators said the State Department designated Hubbard wrongfully detained in January 2025. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in October 2024 that Russia had refused U.S. consular access. The senators said detainees’ families face emotional and financial hardship and alleged Russia uses detention as leverage. They urged the administration to handle detainee negotiations separately from Ukraine talks and cited Robert Gilman’s release after 1,666 days in detention.
Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff expected to raise Hubbard’s case with Putin this week.
