Russia Frees Stephen Hubbard After Four Years. Thank God He Is Home, but Putin Is No Humanitarian.
Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired Michigan teacher jailed for over four years, as Trump envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin.
The facts come first below. My opinion follows in the section marked as opinion.
Russia on Wednesday released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American and retired Michigan schoolteacher who had been jailed for more than four years on charges that he fought for Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Hubbard had been taken to St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport during a meeting with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, the BBC reported.
Hubbard was captured in Ukraine shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and was sentenced in 2024 to almost seven years in a penal colony. He was the last American in Russia whom the State Department had formally declared wrongfully detained. He is in poor health and was expected to be flown to Texas for treatment at a military hospital, CBS News reported.
What Trump said
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Hubbard "was just released from prison, at the request of President Donald J. Trump, made directly to President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation last week." He wrote that the U.S. "was not required to give anything in return — an unprecedented situation for Russia. There was no 'swap' necessary for this release," according to CBS News.
Later Wednesday, Trump tied the release to his decision last week to waive new sanctions on Russia just before they took effect. "If I would have done that, you would not have Mr. Hubbard coming back," he told reporters, CBS reported. Members of Congress, including some Republicans, had sharply criticized the sanctions waiver, CBS News reported.
Witkoff's praise draws Republican criticism
Video of the meeting showed Witkoff thanking Putin. "You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian, you are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that," Witkoff told Putin, CBS News reported.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon called the remark "another embarrassment," and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said Putin "is a stone cold killer," the BBC reported. Vice President JD Vance defended the envoy. "I care much less about what Steve said than about the fact that he is bringing an American hostage home to his family," Vance said, according to the BBC.
A son's prayer
Hubbard's son, Joseph Coleman, is a Greek Orthodox priest. He said in a statement that he had prayed for many years for his father's release. "As I await the blessing of embracing him again, I receive his freedom not as a political victory, but as a gift of mercy," Coleman said. The State Department called the release "a welcome step that we hope leads to the release of all Americans unjustly held in Russia," the BBC reported.
As many as 10 other Americans, including dual nationals, remain in Russian custody, according to CBS News.
Opinion: Rejoice, give credit, and keep our eyes open
First things first. An old man in poor health, whom our own government judged to be wrongfully held, is going home to his family. That is cause for thanksgiving. Scripture says the Lord "looseth the prisoners," and his son's words, a gift of mercy, are the right ones. President Trump asked for this man's freedom and got it. He deserves credit.
But gratitude for the result does not require flattery of the man who held the keys. Putin's government jailed Hubbard for more than four years and gave him a sentence of almost seven years. It still holds as many as 10 other Americans. Calling the man who ordered the invasion of Ukraine "a humanitarian" was wrong, and it was not only Democrats who said so. Republicans like Don Bacon and John Cornyn said it plainly. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil," the prophet warned.
Vance has a fair point that results matter more than words in a negotiation, and diplomats often say polite things to hard men. Still, words from America's envoy are heard in Kyiv, in Europe, and in every capital that holds an American hostage. They should not teach the world that taking Americans prisoner earns praise.
The president also told two stories on the same day: no swap was needed, and the sanctions waiver made the release possible. Americans deserve a clear account of what, if anything, was given. If the price of Hubbard's freedom was easing pressure on Moscow, voters and Congress should know it and weigh it honestly.
For today, welcome Stephen Hubbard home, and pray for his health. Then keep working, and praying, for the Americans still held in Russia. For more on how Washington's choices affect Ukrainians, read Ukrainians, Sudanese Keep TPS Protections for Now, DHS Says.
