President Trump hosted newly freed American prisoner Stephen Hubbard at the White House on Friday.
Hubbard, 73, a retired English teacher and Air Force and National Guard veteran, had been arrested in eastern Ukraine in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion and was handed a nearly seven-year sentence for alleged mercenary activity, which he denied. His release came on Oct. 21 after Trump secured his freedom through a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the Oval Office, Hubbard delivered a stark assessment of his condition to the president. “I wouldn’t have lasted another year,” he said. The retired teacher had spent years in Russian custody, initially held near the front lines where he recalled the chaos of war reaching even his captors. “I was scrambling too,” he said of dodging Ukrainian shells alongside the troops that had seized him.
As time passed, Hubbard said he had nearly abandoned hope of ever seeing freedom. “I had heard it many times before, and I reached the state where seeing is believing,” he told Trump. His skepticism ran deep after repeated false promises. “I never trusted what they said. Only when they started giving me new clothes and leading me to the exit of the prison — I went out and I saw the car, and I was accompanied by a couple of Russians. Then I believed, finally believed, on the drive from Moscow to St. Petersburg, I’m really going somewhere.”
Hubbard’s son attended the White House greeting and voiced the fear that had gripped his family. He said he had worried his father was going to die in Russia and noted that Hubbard is now eating more protein to rebuild his strength.
Trump, 79, offered his own observation on the former captive’s appearance. “You look very healthy. I mean, you have no weight problem,” the president remarked. He added, “It’s an honor to have you back. It’s a great honor.”
The timing of Hubbard’s freedom drew scrutiny from some quarters. His release arrived less than two weeks after Trump announced he was waiving U.S. Sanctions on Russian diesel, a move the administration framed as an effort to reduce surging global energy costs. The Washington Times reported that Trump tied Hubbard’s release to the lifting of those sanctions during the White House meeting.
The White House encounter was an unusually intimate affair, with just one reporter present for what The Independent described as a bizarre press conference. The sparse attendance lent the event an almost private quality as Hubbard unpacked his ordeal for the commander-in-chief who had intervened on his behalf.
Hubbard had built a life in eastern Ukraine with his partner before the 2022 invasion upended everything. Russian authorities swept him up in the occupied territory and prosecuted him despite his denials of any military involvement, sentencing the elderly teacher to years behind bars.
Trump continues his diplomatic engagement with Moscow as Hubbard readjusts to freedom.