- Russian president Vladimir Putin agreed to release 74-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard following a request from president Donald Trump.
- Hubbard, a former schoolteacher serving a nearly seven-year sentence in Russia on mercenary charges he denied, prepared to fly home from St. Petersburg with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
- Witkoff met with Putin to discuss potential proposals to end the war in Europe and explore the resumption of trilateral peace talks.
- President Trump urged Ukraine to reach a settlement with Russia, emphasizing Moscow's military size and momentum.
- Putin expressed openness to restoring full economic relations with the United States amid deepening diplomatic engagement between the two nations.
IN FULL
