Putin orders release of jailed American as he meets Trump envoy for Ukraine talks

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Key context: <p>Russia unilaterally frees Stephen Hubbard after US request while Steve Witkoff praises Putin as a ‘humanitarian’</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/21/us-russia-ukraine-putin-witkoff-zelenskyy-france-italy-protests-europe-latest-news-updates">Europe live – latest updates</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/oct/21/donald-trump-south-carolina-data-centers-midterms-ukraine-witkoff-russia-latest-news-updates">US politics live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>Vladimir Putin ordered the release of an American from a Russian jail as he met Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday for fresh talks on ending the war in Ukraine, amid increasingly close relations between Moscow and Washington.</p><p>Trump had previously asked Putin to free Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher who had spent more than four years in Russian jails on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/07/russia-court-convicts-american-stephen-james-hubbard-fighting-ukraine">charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/21/putin-witkoff-russia-ukraine-trump-stephen-hubbard-release">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.