Updated on: October 30, 2026 / 4:13 PM EDT / CBS News

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Washington — President Trump met with Stephen Hubbard , the American recently released from a Russian prison, at the White House on Friday.

Inviting reporters to join them in the Oval Office, the president called Hubbard a "very special man" who "suffered greatly." CBS News was first to report plans for the meeting.

Hubbard was jailed in Russia for more than four years after being accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher, returned home to the U.S. last week. CBS News' Jennifer Jacobs asked Hubbard about the moment he learned he was being released.

"I heard it many times before and I reached the state where seeing is believing," Hubbard said. "... Only when they started giving me new clothes and leading me to the exit of the prison."

Hubbard's release was announced during a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.

Mr.…