Trump Hails Hubbard Release as Russia Sends 40,000 Tons of Diesel to the U.S.
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Oct 21
Trump Hails Hubbard Release as Russia Sends 40,000 Tons of Diesel to the U.S.
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Oct 21
Summary
Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American held by Russia, was released after Trump said Moscow demanded nothing in return and cast the move as a personal sign of Putin’s respect.
40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel are now headed to the U.S. on the first tanker since Washington lifted its ban, giving Trump a tangible energy win even as global fuel prices have not fallen.
Current and former officials said the two gestures fit a familiar Kremlin tactic: offer limited concessions to keep Washington engaged while preserving leverage through sanctions relief and other detained Americans.
Steve Witkoff’s praise of Putin as a “humanitarian” deepened that concern, drawing bipartisan criticism and underscoring fears in Washington and Europe that Trump’s Russia approach signals weakness rather than progress on Ukraine.