The President of the United States, Donald Trump, again referred to those demanding new sanctions against Russia as “stupid people” while negotiating with Vladimir Putin for the release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard, who was freed on October 21st after more than four years in prison.
During a meeting with Hubbard in the Oval Office, Trump defended his decision not to impose new restrictions against Moscow, stating that doing so would have hindered discussions with the Russian leader. The statements were captured in a video released by NEXTA and in the transcript of the meeting.
Stupid people wanted me to impose sanctions on Russia while I was negotiating for you. If I had imposed sanctions, your children would have said that it was not right, Trump stated after a journalist asked him if he was considering lifting sanctions against a Russian sovereign fund.
Hubbard then intervened to assert that the Russians "are laughing at the sanctions", a statement that Trump immediately supported. The president recreated a hypothetical conversation with Putin to illustrate his point: "I would like to get Stephen Hubbard back, Mr. President. And, by the way, we are imposing sanctions right now. Can you imagine that?".
Trump had already defended that argument on October 21, when he announced the release of the American and argued that imposing sanctions during the negotiations would have prevented his release.
That day, he also had a tense exchange with journalist Kaitlan Collins from CNN, who asked him how he could claim that the United States hadn't granted anything to Russia in exchange for their release when, at the same time, he had suspended new sanctions. Trump dismissed the question and responded with insults, calling her "stupid" and questioning her intelligence.
Hubbard, 74 years old, is a retired professor from Michigan and a veteran of the United States Air Force. He was detained by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine in April 2022 and was sentenced in 2024, during a closed trial, to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
The accusations were rejected by his family and his lawyers, and Washington regarded him as an unjustly detained individual.
His release, announced on October 21, coincided with a visit by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff to St. Petersburg to meet with Putin. The Kremlin stated that the Russian president had granted a pardon for humanitarian reasons, while Trump maintained that there was no prisoner exchange or concessions made in return for his freedom.
During the meeting at the White House, Trump remarked that Hubbard had received a "fairly good" treatment in prison. The former prisoner acknowledged that some guards had even treated him "with sympathy," although he also confessed that he did not believe he could have survived another year incarcerated.
The statements come amid controversies surrounding Washington's policy toward Moscow.
In September, Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Act of Sanctions against Russia and Iran, which was approved with broad bipartisan support in Congress.
The legislation includes hefty economic sanctions and tariffs of up to 500% on Russian products, as well as a 100% tax for certain countries involved in the purchase of Russian energy or in evading sanctions.
However, on October 16, just a month after signing the law, Trump issued an executive order that suspended the implementation of numerous provisions, citing "national interest." The decision did not eliminate previous US sanctions against Russia, but it rendered much of the new measures approved by Congress ineffective.
The law is named after the Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away on July 11, one of the key proponents of sanctions against Moscow and a strong advocate for U.S. military support to Ukraine.
This decision was complemented by the granting of a license from the Department of the Treasury on October 9, which allows certain operations for the sale, transportation, and importation of Russian diesel, including its entry into the United States, until April 7, 2027. This measure accompanied an agreement announced by Trump with Putin to facilitate the supply of that fuel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized this energy approach towards Moscow and warned that it would be a "historic error" to place the United States on the side of Russia while the invasion of Ukraine continues.
In the Oval Office, Trump insisted that his personal negotiations with Putin had been crucial in securing Hubbard's release. The American expressed his gratitude for the efforts made and recounted that he only truly believed he would regain his freedom when he was taken out of prison and transferred to St. Petersburg.
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