Russian state media reported on Wednesday that President Vladimir Putin has expressed readiness to hold a trilateral summit with United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China, aimed at addressing the war in Ukraine.
1+At the opening of the meeting, Putin expressed appreciation for the close attention President Trump is dedicating to resolving the crisis in Ukraine. Concurrently, the Russian leader announced the release of 74-year-old American citizen Stephen James Hubbard, an English teacher who was captured by Russian forces while residing in Ukraine and later sentenced by a Russian court in 2024 to six years and 10 months in prison. Witkoff thanked the Russian president for Hubbard’s release. President Trump later confirmed the development, emphasizing that the American citizen was freed after direct communication between the two heads of state, without requiring a reciprocal prisoner exchange.
“Stephen Hubbard, who was taken four years ago by Russia during the Biden administration, has now been released from prison at the request of President Donald J. Trump, made directly to President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation last week,” Trump stated. “Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family. The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return—an unprecedented situation for Russia. No ‘swap deal’ was necessary for this release. This significant return should have happened long ago under the Biden administration, but it got nowhere in its negotiations with the Kremlin. Welcome home, Stephen; great to have you back.”
1+The proposed trilateral format reflects shifting global diplomacy. Both Trump and Putin have visited Beijing over the past year to hold talks with Xi Jinping. Unlike previous administrations, Trump has engaged directly with the Asian superpower, including hosting the Chinese president at the White House in September. Nevertheless, Washington maintains a guarded approach toward Beijing’s economic footprint, with Chinese-manufactured vehicles largely restricted from the U.S. automotive market and Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei remaining barred from utilizing Google’s Android operating system.