After more than four years in Russian custody, 74-year-old American Stephen Hubbard has returned to the United States, landing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on Wednesday night.

Hubbard, a retired schoolteacher from Michigan and a U.S. Air Force veteran, was detained by Russian troops in eastern Ukraine in 2022. Russia accused him of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent call to free Hubbard and that, unlike previous releases, the U.S. did not have to give up anyone in return.