President Donald Trump said Wednesday, Oct. 21, that new Russia measures he had deferred could have kept Stephen Hubbard in prison, linking his waiver of sanctions to the American’s release after years in custody.
Asked about his earlier assertion that Washington gave nothing in return, Trump said Hubbard would not have returned without his actions. Collins replied, ‘So you did give something,’ and Trump rebuked her. Collins later asked whether the sanctions waiver was in exchange for Hubbard’s release; Trump rejected that framing.
Hubbard, 74, was released Oct. 21 after more than four years in Russian custody. The Associated Press reported that his 2024 conviction followed accusations that he had joined combat in Ukraine as a mercenary; the sentence was nearly seven years. His lawyers disputed the allegation, AP reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in comments to Russian media that U.S. officials had raised Hubbard’s release over a period of time. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to free Hubbard on humanitarian grounds, AP reported.
Trump signed the underlying Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on Sept. 18. It authorizes duty rates of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on imports from certain countries tied to purchases of Russian oil and gas. Five days before Hubbard’s release, on Friday, Oct. 16, Trump signed an order waiving specified sanctions, restrictions and duties under the law.
The order said the waiver did not affect sanctions or other measures imposed under executive orders addressing the national emergency concerning harmful Russian government activities, which Trump continued on March 24, 2026. Those earlier executive-order measures remained in place. Trump’s waiver of the law’s new measures has no fixed expiration date. It remains in effect until Trump or the secretary of state determines further action is appropriate, in consultation with the Treasury secretary and the U.S. trade representative as appropriate.
