WASHINGTON, United States – US President Donald Trump clashed with CNN and ABC News reporters after they questioned whether his administration’s decision to ease sanctions on Russia helped secure the release of an American imprisoned by Moscow.
The confrontation on Wednesday came as Trump defended his handling of the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired American teacher who had been detained in Russia since 2022.
When ABC News reporter Karen Travers questioned Trump about the sanctions decision, the president asked whether she was “a stupid person” before declaring that her network was “the worst of all.”
Trump had also attacked CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins, calling her a “dummy” and accusing the network of reporting fake news after she challenged his claim that Washington had given Russia nothing in return for Hubbard’s freedom.
Trump Defends Russia Sanctions Waiver
The exchanges centred on an apparent tension between Trump’s assertion that the United States made no concession to secure Hubbard’s release and his admission that imposing sanctions could have derailed the negotiations.
“If I didn’t do that, you wouldn’t have Mr. Hubbard coming back,” Trump told Collins when she questioned his earlier claim that the United States had given nothing in return.
When Collins suggested that the decision not to impose sanctions amounted to giving something, Trump rejected her interpretation and defended his negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He argued that new sanctions would have jeopardised the discussions and could have left Hubbard facing decades more in prison.
Trump also linked the decision to broader negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying Washington was potentially closer to an agreement and needed to avoid disrupting sensitive diplomatic talks.
The president has maintained that Hubbard’s release was secured through his personal appeal to Putin and that no formal prisoner swap was required.
However, the timing of the release, following the administration’s decision to waive certain sanctions, has raised questions about whether Moscow benefited from Washington’s approach.
What Happened to Stephen Hubbard?
Hubbard was arrested in Ukraine in April 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russian prosecutors accused him of fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, allegations his family disputed.
He was sentenced in Russia in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. The US government designated him as wrongfully detained.
Hubbard was released on Wednesday after diplomatic engagement involving Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who travelled to St Petersburg for talks with Putin.
Trump said he had raised Hubbard’s case directly with the Russian president during a telephone conversation the previous week. Witkoff subsequently thanked Putin for the release during their meeting.
Russia Sanctions Already Under Political Pressure
The dispute comes amid wider criticism of the Trump administration’s Russia policy, including its decision to waive certain sanctions affecting Russian energy exports.
Some Republican lawmakers and Democratic critics have argued that easing economic pressure on Moscow risks strengthening the Russian government as its war against Ukraine continues.
A bipartisan group of senators has also criticised the administration’s approach to Russian diesel supplies, arguing that easing restrictions could provide Moscow with additional revenue to support its war effort.
Trump, however, has defended the decisions as part of efforts to address energy costs and advance negotiations with Russia.
The confrontation has placed renewed attention on the distinction between Trump’s claim that there was no formal exchange for Hubbard and his argument that withholding sanctions was essential to securing the American’s release.
While Hubbard’s return marks a diplomatic outcome for Washington, the precise role played by the sanctions waiver remains a central question in the debate over the administration’s negotiations with Moscow.
