In his first comments since being released from a Russian prison, retired Michigan teacher Stephen Hubbard, 74, revealed he only believed he would be freed when he received new clothes. Speaking on Friday, Hubbard said he had previously been told he would be released but never trusted it, following a philosophy of “seeing is believing” and “actions speak louder than words.”
“Only when they started giving me new clothes and leading me to the exit of the prison,” he recounted, reflecting on his release on 21 October following a meeting with Donald Trump at the White House. “I went out, saw the car, and was accompanied by a couple of Russians. Then I believed, finally believed, on the drive from Moscow to St Petersburg, ‘I’m really going somewhere.’”
Hubbard spent over four years in prison on accusations of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in February 2022. His legal team has denied the Russian claims, asserting he was not involved in any military activities.
Trump has previously stated he asked Russian leader Vladimir Putin to release Hubbard without requiring the US to exchange anyone in return. “He was somebody I wanted to get back,” Trump commented while hosting Hubbard in the Oval Office on Friday.
The White House limited the pool of journalists allowed into the meeting to mostly news photographers and a television crew. Many observers view Hubbard’s release as a possible attempt by Russia to align Trump more closely with Putin’s stance on the Ukraine conflict, providing Trump with a diplomatic win ahead of the 3 November midterm elections, where his party is anticipated to lose seats.
