'Sanctions could have kept him in prison for 25 yrs': Trump says US gave Russia nothing for Hubbard

Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired US schoolteacher in custody since 2022, from prison on Wednesday (October 21) and took him to St Petersburg to fly back to the United States, after talks that Washington said were a step toward ending the war in Ukraine. President Donald Trump said at a White House roundtable on Wednesday that the United States had given "nothing in exchange" for Hubbard's release. Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement at a meeting in St Petersburg with US envoy Steve Witkoff, who later said the talks will continue toward planned technical-level discussions involving the US, Russia and Ukraine.