Trump urges Putin to release American convicted over Ukraine war: The time has come to bring him home

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he asked Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin to release U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was convicted in Russia for taking part in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of Ukrainian forces.

According to Trump, the issue was discussed in detail during his conversation with the Russian president, and he hopes the American’s release will become a reality.

“I spoke with President Putin about S. Hubbard. We discussed the issue at length. I asked him to release him,” Trump said, adding: “The time has come for S. Hubbard to come home.”

Stephen James Hubbard, 74, was found guilty by a Russian court in 2024 and sentenced to six years and ten months in prison on charges of acting as a mercenary against Russian forces.

According to the Russian side, Hubbard, who is from the U.S. state of Michigan, was paid $1,000 a month for serving in a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in the city of Izium, where he had lived since 2014.

Authorities added that he allegedly joined the unit in February 2022, shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and received military training, weapons and ammunition during that period.

Hubbard was captured by Russian forces on April 2, 2022. According to Reuters and Russian state media, he pleaded guilty to the charges against him, while the court hearing was held behind closed doors.

Trump’s request comes at a time when the detention of U.S. citizens in Russia remains a sensitive issue in Washington-Moscow relations. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether Putin has responded specifically to the request to release Hubbard.