Russia frees jailed American Stephen Hubbard during U.S. envoy Witkoff's meeting with Putin

Russia released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American teacher, on Wednesday during a meeting in St. Petersburg between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, after more than four years in custody. Hubbard, from Michigan, was sentenced in 2024 to almost seven years for fighting for Ukraine; prosecutors said he signed a contract with the Ukrainian military and was captured in 2022. The State Department had called the charges fabricated. President Donald Trump said Hubbard landed in the U.S. Wednesday night, would visit the White House soon, and that Putin agreed at his request with no swap, though he said waiving new sanctions played a role. Overnight into Thursday, Russian attacks on Kyiv killed at least one person and injured 22, Ukraine's emergency service said, while Moscow's mayor said Ukraine launched 630 drones at the region.

Right-leaning outlets lead with Trump's announcement, his no-swap claim and his criticism of the Biden administration and of sanction advocates. Left-leaning outlets add Hubbard's background and an interview with his son, Fr. Joseph Coleman, about his father's state of mind, and note Trump's sanctions remark. Alternative outlets differ most: Al Jazeera frames the release within the wider war, while NewsNation focuses on detainee families' hope.