A request made in the Oval Office

Donald Trump said on Tuesday, 20 October, that he had asked Vladimir Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, an American held in Russia since 2022. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump confirmed for the first time that Hubbard is the person Washington has been trying to free, after earlier referring only to a 'hostage' held by Moscow. Trump said he had raised the case with the Russian president at length and described the exchange in these words:

“I've been talking to him at length. I've asked him to release him. Let's see what happens.”

Trump also said it was time for Hubbard to come home. Putin has not publicly commented on the case, so Moscow's position on a release remains unstated.

Who Hubbard is

Hubbard, 74, grew up in Big Rapid, Michigan, and earned a master's degree in English. He is described as a retired schoolteacher. He lived in Japan for 25 years and taught English there before relocating to Cyprus. In 2014 he moved to Izyum in eastern Ukraine with a Ukrainian partner, according to his sister, Patricia Hubbard Fox. Russian forces overran the Izyum area in 2022, and Hubbard was taken into custody in eastern Ukraine. Washington designated him as wrongfully detained in January 2025, a status that gives US officials a basis to pursue negotiations for his release.

Conviction and a disputed account

In October 2024, a Moscow court found Hubbard guilty of fighting as a mercenary in a closed trial and sentenced him to six years and 10 months. Prosecutors said he had joined a Ukrainian territorial defence unit, received training and weapons, and was promised $1,000 a month. Russian state media said he had pleaded guilty, a claim his family questioned, citing what they described as his long-standing pacifist views. His sister said she recognised him in an online video showing a man being questioned about his views on Putin and the war, and she doubted that a man in his seventies would have taken up arms. Local journalists have been unable to verify how he was captured. In June 2025 Martin De Luca, a US-based lawyer, said Hubbard had denied the charges and had not belonged to any combat or military unit.

Ukraine talks and the wider push

Trump's request comes as he presses Kyiv to accept terms that would end Russia's invasion, and he has sharply criticised President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump has pressed Zelensky to hand over territory Russia has not been able to conquer, a move Ukrainians regard as defeat. Trump has also bought diesel from Moscow, a deal he presents as lowering costs before the midterm elections, and he has blamed Zelensky for high diesel prices in the United States. Making the point on Tuesday, Trump said:

“We've got nothing back, and the American taxpayers are tired of it. We want Zelensky to make a deal.”

What happens next

Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy, plans to meet Putin on Wednesday, 21 October, in St. Petersburg. According to people familiar with the matter, hopes for Hubbard's release rest on that meeting. His release is expected to be one of the topics for the talks. Trump asked reporters to keep the question in mind for a couple of days. No public response from Putin on the case has been reported so far.