DOMINANT ANGLE
London is deciphering the Saint Petersburg meeting through the release of Stephen Hubbard and the concern of Kiev's allies in the face of a Donald Trump who appears to be turning away from Ukraine to move closer to Moscow.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Stephen Hubbard, 74, sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in a penal colony for fighting, according to Moscow, for Ukraine, was released during the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff (BBC).
- 02
Donald Trump claims no exchange was necessary and that without the suspension of sanctions, negotiations on Hubbard "would have come to a complete and total halt" (BBC).
- 03
Allies are worried about Donald Trump turning away from Kiev while bringing Washington closer to Moscow (The Independent).
ANALYSIS
London, 21 October 2026. For both the BBC and The Independent, Wednesday's meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's emissary, Steve Witkoff, in Saint Petersburg, began with a gesture: the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American and former teacher from Michigan.
The BBC recalls that Stephen Hubbard had been sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in a penal colony for allegedly fighting for Ukraine, according to Moscow. He had reportedly served in a defense unit in Izyum, in eastern Ukraine, before being captured by Russian forces shortly after the 2022 invasion. The US State Department had classified him as "wrongfully detained". Vladimir Putin indicated during the meeting that Hubbard had been taken to Pulkovo Airport. According to CBS News, the BBC's American partner, Hubbard was in poor health and was to be transported to Texas for treatment.
Donald Trump's account is widely reported. The American president claims that the release was in response to a demand made "directly" to Vladimir Putin the previous week, and that "there was no 'swap' necessary". The BBC notes that other releases of Americans detained in Russia have involved prisoner exchanges. It also points out that Donald Trump appears to be defending his recent decision to suspend sanctions against Russia, two days before they were due to come into effect: new sanctions, he claims, would have stopped the negotiations over Hubbard altogether.
The BBC quotes Steve Witkoff thanking Vladimir Putin: "You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian - you are a humanitarian also". The Independent adds that the emissary arrived early in the morning to discuss new ideas for ending the war, and that Donald Trump sees this as an unprecedented situation for Russia, without an American counterpart. The newspaper also recalls, in a subtitle, that these discussions are taking place more than two years after Trump's campaign promise to end the war within 24 hours.
The British tone is mainly due to the European angle. The Independent writes that allies are concerned about the American president "turning away from Kyiv while firming up relations with Moscow". The available excerpts do not detail the content of the American proposals or the timeline of the negotiations; the focus is on the release, the suspended sanctions, and Ukraine's place in Washington's approach.
