Retired Michigan Teacher Freed From Russian Prison Meets Trump in Oval Office

President Donald Trump welcomed Stephen Hubbard, a retired Michigan teacher, to the Oval Office on Friday, after Russia released him from custody. According to a report from The National News Desk carried by WPDE, Hubbard had spent four years in captivity.

Hubbard is the second American freed from Russian custody in about two months. About two dozen Americans remain imprisoned in Russia, according to the Foley Foundation, a hostage advocacy organization.

What Trump and Hubbard said in the Oval Office

Trump greeted Hubbard and his family in front of the Declaration of Independence, telling them it was an honor to have them there. Hubbard had been imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. He was released on the Wednesday before the visit.

Speaking to reporters, Hubbard described the moment he learned he would go free. He said he had heard such promises many times before and had reached the point where he needed to see it happen. “Actions speak louder than words,” he said. He added that he believed he would not have survived another year in custody.

The conversation also turned to sanctions on Russia. Trump said that while he was negotiating for Hubbard, critics wanted him to impose sanctions, and he sharply criticized those critics. He asked how it would have looked to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to return Hubbard and then impose sanctions anyway. Hubbard agreed, saying Russians dismiss such measures. “Russians laugh at these sanctions,” he said, adding that they would all laugh.

How the release came about, according to Trump

Trump said he asked Putin to free Hubbard in a phone call earlier this month. A Truth Social post from the president described the call as having taken place last week, so the reports differ slightly in how they describe the timing.

The post said Hubbard was taken by Russia four years ago, during the Biden administration, and was released at Trump’s direct request to Putin. It also said the United States did not have to give anything in return. The post criticized the previous administration and said the release should have happened much earlier. The sources do not include a response from Russian officials or from former Biden administration officials.

The earlier release of Robert Gilman

In August, Russia freed Robert Gilman, a Marine veteran who was gravely ill. He had been imprisoned on disputed charges of assaulting a police officer. Together with Hubbard’s release, that makes two Americans freed from Russian custody in roughly two months.

Why it matters for Americans held abroad

For the families of Americans detained in Russia, the two releases are a sign that some cases are moving. The Foley Foundation’s estimate of about two dozen Americans still imprisoned there for various reasons shows how many cases remain unresolved.

The episode also ties a hostage case to the wider debate over how Washington deals with Moscow. Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office presented his approach of direct talks with Putin as the reason for Hubbard’s release, and he argued that sanctions would have undermined those talks. Those are the president’s own claims. The sources do not provide independent confirmation of how the release was negotiated, and they do not say whether further releases are planned.

The two cases differ in their details. Hubbard was held on charges tied to fighting in Ukraine, while Gilman’s charges involved an alleged assault on a police officer. Both releases came without any announced concessions from the U.S., according to Trump’s account of Hubbard’s case.

Around Prague, based on reporting by WPDE, WTOV, KVII