WASHINGTON, October 31. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump praised Russia’s actions in connection with the release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was convicted in Russia of taking part in hostilities on the side of Ukrainian forces.

"And so, as you know, he was somebody I wanted to get back, and I spoke to [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin, and they said we'll let him come back," Trump told reporters on Friday during a meeting with Hubbard at the White House. "It was really an honor to help. It was just a spur of the moment. I said, ‘Do me a favor. Will you let Stephen Hubbard out? Let him out.’ And they were very nice in that regard," the US leader stressed.

Hubbard was convicted of taking part in hostilities on the side of Ukrainian forces. On October 7, 2024, the Moscow City Court sentenced him to six years and 10 months in a general-regime penal colony. Hubbard pleaded guilty to the charges. The time he spent in pretrial detention since April 2022 was credited toward his sentence.

The American’s release was announced during US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to St. Petersburg. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told TASS that Putin had decided to release Hubbard as a gesture of goodwill.