# Trump's Hubbard plea

News · Heat 2.0 / 10 · 4 shows · 16m airtime

In October 2026, President Trump said he asked Vladimir Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American seized from Ukraine in 2022, accused of being a mercenary and sent to a penal colony. Hubbard has since walked out of a Russian prison after four years and will be flown to Texas for treatment in a military hospital. Former Ukrainian POWs now say Hubbard was tortured, starved and beaten in Russian captivity, shifting the story from the homecoming to what the four years cost him.

Page: https://boilpoints.com/point/trumps_hubbard_plea_2304663817

## Segments

- [The Headlines](https://boilpoints.com/u/theheadlines), 2026-10-21, 5:46 to 6:54: **Reports Trump's request to free Stephen Hubbard**. Reports Trump's claim that he asked Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American held since 2022, and frames a possible homecoming as a pre-midterm win that would sit alongside the diesel deal and eased sanctions. New angle: Trump says he asked Putin to release Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American jailed in Russia since 2022.
- [Morning Wire](https://boilpoints.com/u/morningwire), 2026-10-21, 2:41 to 4:09: **Reports Hubbard's release and hospital transfer**. Reports Hubbard's actual release from Russian custody, four years in, with Trump claiming on Truth Social he secured it for nothing in exchange. Adds the transfer to a Texas military hospital and Russia's agreement in principle to trilateral talks. New angle: Hubbard walked out of a Russian prison after four years and will be flown to Texas for treatment in a military hospital.
- [Start Here](https://boilpoints.com/u/starthere), 2026-10-22, 10:38 to 17:37: **Interviews Rievel on Hubbard's torture in captivity**. Interviews ABC's Patrick Rievel, who has followed Hubbard's case specifically: former Ukrainian POWs describe him being tortured, starved and beaten, and a Russian court convicted him as a mercenary and sentenced him to more than six years. Adds the on-record detail of Witkoff calling Putin a humanitarian and the criticism it drew. New angle: Former Ukrainian POWs say Hubbard was tortured, starved and beaten in Russian captivity.
- [The Bulwark Daily](https://boilpoints.com/u/thebulwarkdaily), 2026-10-22, 12:25 to 18:23: **Plays the Witkoff clip and argues the trade**. Plays the Witkoff clip praising Putin as a humanitarian before the prisoner release and argues the deal handed Russia a week of concessions for one American. The outrage is new; the facts, including the Hubbard release and the Witkoff remark, are already on the record.