By — Nick Schifrin Nick Schifrin By — Daniel Okay Daniel Okay Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/american-imprisoned-by-russia-released-as-witkoff-meets-and-praises-putin Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Audio Russia freed an American imprisoned for the last four years. Stephen Hubbard was captured in Eastern Ukraine and convicted of fighting against Russia. The 74-year-old retired teacher was reportedly freed without a swap. U.S. special envoy Steve Whitkoff greeted Hubbard in St. Petersburg. He also met with the Russian president and praised Putin in unusually glowing terms. Nick Schifrin reports. Listen to this Segment By — Nick Schifrin Nick Schifrin Nick Schifrin is PBS News Hour’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent and serves as the host of Compass Points from PBS News. @nickschifrin By — Daniel Okay Daniel Okay
American imprisoned by Russia released as Witkoff meets and praises Putin
In short
The U.S. has released American citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was imprisoned in Russia for fighting against the country, as U.S. special envoy Steve Whitkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Whitkoff praised Putin's efforts to resolve the situation and called them "extraordinary" and "unusually glowing."
Key points
- The release of Hubbard is a significant shift in the relationship between the U.S. and Ru…: The release of Hubbard is a significant shift in the relationship between the U.S. and Russia.
- The U.S. now acknowledges Russia's actions in Ukraine.: The U.S. now acknowledges Russia's actions in Ukraine.
- The meeting between Whitkoff and Putin is praised for its "extraordinary" and "unusually…: The meeting between Whitkoff and Putin is praised for its "extraordinary" and "unusually glowing" efforts.