HighLights
  1. Trump criticised calls for tougher Russia sanctions.
  2. He linked opposition to US citizen Stephen Hubbard's release.
  3. Hubbard was freed from Russian detention on October 21.

United States President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) criticised people calling for tougher sanctions against Russia. Describing them as “stupid people,” Trump stated that imposing more restrictions on Moscow could have affected efforts to secure the release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard from a Russian prison. His remarks have drawn attention as his administration has also taken several steps to impose sanctions and restrictions on other countries in recent times.

Trump Explains Why He Was Against More Sanctions

Speaking at the Oval Office, Trump used the release of Stephen Hubbard to explain why he was against calls for more sanctions on Russia. He questioned how he could ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to release an American citizen while putting additional sanctions on Moscow at the same time. "People, stupid people, wanted me to put sanctions on Russia," Trump remarked.

He also claimed that Russian officials were not worried about such restrictions and simply laughed at them. "They laugh at the sanctions," Trump added. He noted that imposing sanctions while also asking to release Hubbard would have sent the wrong message.

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Trump Meets Released American Citizen

Meanwhile, Trump also met Hubbard at the White House on Friday, a few days after the 74-year-old returned to the US following his release from a Russian prison. During the meeting, Trump described Hubbard as a “very special man" who had “suffered greatly". Hubbard, a retired teacher from Michigan, had spent more than four years in Russian detention.

Russian authorities accused him of fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary. He was detained by Russian forces in Ukraine in April 2022 and later convicted on charges of fighting alongside Ukrainian forces as a mercenary. The US government had classified him as wrongfully detained. He was released on October 21 during a visit to St. Petersburg by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff.

During the White House meeting, when Trump asked Hubbard, “I think I could say that you were treated reasonably well, right?" He replied, “Yes”, and stated that some prison guards had treated him “sympathetically".

Trump’s Wider Sanctions Push

Trump's remarks come at a time when his administration has taken several major steps involving sanctions and international restrictions. His administration has pursued sanctions-related actions involving Russia, North Korea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, along with measures targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC).

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