Russia has released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan who had been detained in Ukraine in 2022, as U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. Hubbard had been held on charges, which he denies, of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, and he was the last American designated by the State Department as wrongfully detained in Russia. In remarks aired on Russian state news agencies, Putin said Hubbard was at the airport, and the Kremlin described the release as a goodwill gesture.

Witkoff praised Putin during the meeting, saying, "You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir." President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that Hubbard was on his way home and that the United States "was not required to give anything in return." Trump said he had asked Putin directly for the release in a phone call last week. Hubbard's family thanked Trump and his team for opening a dialogue with Russia. Witkoff told Putin that "groundwork" had been laid for ending the fighting, said he had brought documents outlining possible approaches to a deal, and expressed hope that Russia would consider resuming trilateral talks. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, was expected to join the meeting virtually.

The meeting followed talks on Tuesday in Oslo, where Witkoff and other U.S. negotiators met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European leaders, and the leaders of Norway and Finland. A U.S. official described the talks as "very productive and constructive," with "strong alignment at the working level" on next steps, and told NBC News that Ukraine brought forward new proposals. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said "genuine progress" had been made but cautioned that patience would be needed. Zelenskyy said a possible trilateral leaders' meeting was among the important ideas raised. He also said U.S. intelligence sharing, including early warning of ballistic missile attacks, "works now" after Kyiv had accused Washington of withholding it, a claim the U.S. called "scandalous."

The diplomacy comes as relations between Washington and Kyiv have deteriorated in recent weeks. Trump has said it is time for Ukraine to get a new president or for "somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine," and on Tuesday he told reporters, "We want Zelenskyy to make a deal." His administration has also waived sanctions on Russia and agreed to a diesel deal with the Kremlin, moves that have drawn criticism at home and abroad. Trump has also blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for rising fuel prices, which have climbed since the start of the U.S.-led war on Iran, ahead of next month's midterm elections.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Kremlin would listen to what Witkoff offered but ruled out "any political concessions." Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, and its drone attacks continued this week. Ukrainian officials said at least 10 people were killed on Tuesday in Kyiv and its region, Donetsk and Dnipro, and two more were killed near Kharkiv overnight into Wednesday. Zelenskyy and European allies have said it is now up to Russia to respond to the proposals agreed in Oslo, and the outcome of the St. Petersburg talks will help determine whether trilateral negotiations resume.