For years, Americans wrongfully detained in hostile nations have exposed one of Washington’s most shameful blind spots. Citizens – ordinary people, not spies or soldiers – languish in foreign prison cells while bureaucrats shuffle papers and diplomats draft strongly worded letters that nobody reads. It’s a disgrace that transcends party lines, though not every administration treats it with the same urgency.
The real dividing line has never been about whether we should bring these people home. Everyone agrees on that much. The dividing line is whether the president in charge has the nerve to deal directly with an adversary, skip the diplomatic theater, and actually get something done. This week, we got a fresh reminder of what that looks like.
From Fox News:
Russia has freed a retired U.S. teacher who was locked up on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, according to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Michigan man, Stephen Hubbard, had been sentenced in 2024 to almost seven years imprisonment.
Stephen Hubbard is 74 years old. A retired English teacher from Michigan, he’d been living in the eastern Ukrainian city of Izyum since 2014. When Russia barreled into Ukraine with its full-scale invasion in 2022, Hubbard was swept up in occupied territory and slapped with mercenary charges. Both his family and the U.S. State Department called those charges completely fabricated.
None of that mattered to Moscow. Hubbard spent more than four years rotting in a Russian prison, formally designated by the State Department as wrongfully detained. He’s 74. Let me say that differently – a retired schoolteacher from the Midwest spent his early seventies locked in a cell over lies.
On Wednesday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Hubbard at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg. The elderly man was walking on his own. That alone qualifies as encouraging. The last American freed from Russian detention – Marine veteran Robert Gilman, released back in August – arrived home severely emaciated. His advocates say he’d been tortured.
A president who picks up the phone
Here’s the part that drives the critics absolutely sideways: President Trump confirmed he personally raised Hubbard’s case with Vladimir Putin. And Russia required nothing in return. Zero concessions. Trump noted the release came “out of respect for President Trump.” You can practically hear the foreign policy establishment grinding their teeth.
Hubbard’s son, Joseph Coleman, was considerably more gracious about it. “Never once did we waver as we prayed for success in these negotiations, and we must acknowledge that this humanitarian move by President Putin in this matter is deeply appreciated,” he said.
Now, certain corners of the media – you know exactly which ones – will frame any engagement with Moscow as proof that Trump is secretly working for the Kremlin. That particular conspiracy theory has aged about as well as a gas station sandwich. Meanwhile, a 74-year-old American is on a plane home instead of staring at the walls of a Russian cell. Funny how results have a way of rendering the pundit class irrelevant.
The work ahead
Hubbard’s freedom deserves celebration. Full stop. But honesty requires acknowledging that several Americans remain behind Russian bars. Andre Khachatoorian, David Barnes, Aleksander Antonov, Olga Jezler, and Chuck Zimmerman are all still imprisoned on charges their advocates call unjust. Their families are watching every headline, hoping they’re next.
The momentum, though, is real. Gilman freed in August. Hubbard freed in October. Two recoveries in three months, built on direct presidential engagement rather than the usual foggy multilateral processes that produce communiqués instead of plane tickets home.
Stephen Hubbard spent over four years wondering whether his country remembered he existed. This week, he got a definitive answer. And it came from a president who operates on the simplest – and most effective – foreign policy principle available: Americans come first.
Key Takeaways
- Trump personally negotiated Hubbard’s release with Putin – no concessions required.
- A 74-year-old wrongfully detained American teacher is heading home after four years in Russian prison.
- This marks the second American freed from Russia under Trump since August.
- Several Americans remain detained in Russia, making continued strong diplomacy essential.
