Oval Office Visit: Trump Hosts Freed Russian Prisoner Stephen Hubbard
The retired Michigan teacher returned to Washington one week after his release from a Russian facility where he spent over four years.
By Alexander Novak ·
Stephen Hubbard stood in the Oval Office on Thursday, just days after leaving a Russian prison. President Donald Trump greeted the retired Michigan teacher during a brief meeting that marked the end of a four-year detention.
Hubbard had been held on charges of serving as a mercenary in Ukraine, a role his legal team has consistently denied. The lawyers argued he was never involved in military activity during his time in the country.
Trump stated that he personally requested Vladimir Putin to free Hubbard. The President claimed the United States did not need to release any American detainees in exchange for Hubbard's return.
Hubbard told Trump he had heard multiple promises of release over the years but remained skeptical. He described adopting a stance of waiting for physical proof before accepting his freedom.
He recalled the moment he finally believed he was going home. "Only when they started giving me new clothes and leading me to the exit of the prison," Hubbard said. "I went out and I saw the car, and I 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.'"
The White House restricted access to the room, allowing only a small group of news photographers and one television crew to document the encounter.
Source: ABC7 Los Angeles
