RUSSIA RELEASES US CITIZEN STEPHEN HUBBARD

Russia released US citizen Stephen Hubbard on Wednesday during talks between President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg. Putin announced the release and said Hubbard was at the airport. Witkoff said Hubbard was “going home to his family.” Russian forces had taken Hubbard captive over an accusation that he worked as a mercenary for Ukraine, which he denies. Accounts differ on when Hubbard was convicted, placing it in either 2022 or 2024; a closed trial sentenced him to seven years in prison.

US President Donald Trump said he had asked Putin to release Hubbard during a phone call last week. Trump claimed Russia had received nothing in return and that the release required no prisoner swap. In a later post, he described his decision to suspend a new round of sanctions as a concession. Trump said sanctions would have brought the negotiations to “a complete and total halt.” Witkoff brought Putin proposals for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

After the meeting, the Kremlin said Witkoff’s proposals lacked substance and would not help produce a peace settlement. Putin agreed in principle to resume talks involving Russian, Ukrainian and US delegates after 10 November. His foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said those talks should address a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict. Putin also proposed discussing the restoration of ties between Moscow and Washington with Witkoff. Witkoff had met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway the previous day.