President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin "at length" about Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher held in Russia, and has asked him to release Hubbard.

"I'd love to get him back. It's time. It's time to have Mr. Hubbard back," Trump said in the Oval Office, according to ABC News.

Two US officials and another person familiar with the matter said the administration is close to a deal with Moscow that would free several Americans, ABC News reported. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, have led the talks, which are in their final stages, the sources said. Officials cautioned that nothing has been finalized and the deal could still fall apart or change in scope. It is not clear what Russia might get in return.

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, said talks on such issues are "ongoing through intelligence service channels." He said Hubbard's name was "certainly familiar" but that he had "nothing to report," according to ABC News. The White House declined to comment.

Hubbard grew up in Michigan and taught English in Japan for 25 years, The Independent reported. He moved to Izyum, Ukraine, in 2014 and was taken into Russian custody after Russian forces captured the city in 2022. A Moscow court convicted him of being a mercenary in a closed trial in October 2024 and sentenced him to six years and 10 months in prison, according to The Independent. His family and his lawyer have said the charges are false.

Washington designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained in January 2025, The Independent reported. ABC News said he is the only American held in Russia with that designation.

What we know: Trump has pressed Putin directly on Hubbard, and sources say a deal for several Americans is near.
What we don't: Whether the deal will be completed, who would be freed and what Russia would get in return.