▶ Watch Video: American released from Russian prison with “no ‘swap’ necessary,” Trump says
Washington — President Trump met with Stephen Hubbard, the American recently released from a Russian prison, at the White House on Friday.
Inviting reporters to join them in the Oval Office, the president called Hubbard a “very special man” who “suffered greatly.” CBS News was first to report plans for the the meeting.
Hubbard was jailed in Russia for more than four years after being accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. He returned home to the U.S. last week. Hubbard, 74, is a retired teacher.
Hubbard’s release was announced during a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.
Mr. Trump said there was no “swap” for Hubbard, but appeared to tie Hubbard’s release to his decision to exempt Russia from sanctions passed by Congress.
“We were in the midst of negotiating,” the president told reporters last week. “And a lot of stupid people said, and people that don’t know how life works, they said, ‘Why aren’t you putting Russia sanctions and all this’ in the midst of a negotiation to try to get a long-term hostage back from Russia. If I would have done that, you would not have Mr. Hubbard coming back.”
The president has not reimposed those sanctions since Hubbard’s release.
This is a developing story; it will be updated.