Putin Releases American Citizen from Prison Amid Talks with Trump's Envoy to End Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday (October 21, 2026). In this meeting, Putin renewed talks with Donald Trump's envoy to end the Ukraine war. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin also ordered the release of an American citizen from a Russian prison. US President Donald Trump had urged Putin before this meeting to release 74-year-old former teacher Stephen Hubbard from a Russian prison. Hubbard had spent more than four years in Russian prisons on charges of fighting as a mercenary on behalf of Ukraine. This development comes at a time when relations between Moscow and Washington appear to be getting closer. However, Stephen Hubbard's release is being seen by Russia as a planned effort to bring Trump closer to Putin on the issue of Ukraine, as well as an attempt to win the US presidency before the midterm elections.