President Trump said Wednesday his success in freeing an American wrongly imprisoned in Russia was related to his much-criticized decision to hold back on imposing sanctions on Russia aimed at strangling its ability to wage war in Ukraine. While acknowledging the trade-off, Trump insisted the U.S. “was not required to give anything in return” for Stephen Hubbard’s release. “Numerous people, who requested that sanctions be immediately imposed on Russia, have called to apologize to President Trump in that they didn’t know that he was negotiating the release of Stephen Hubbard, a truly big and important deal for the U.S.,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. “If sanctions would have been placed, certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt,” he added.

Trump issued an executive order last week waiving the application of sanctions against Russia and the top purchasers of Russian energy, a determination he argued was in the national security interest of the United States. Lawmakers had hoped the sanctions legislation would hamper Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to fund the war against Ukraine. Trump coupled his decision to waive sanctions along with a deal to buy Russian diesel that he said would lower prices in the U.S. Both moves drew immediate and widespread pushback from Democrats and Republicans hawkish on Russia.

Those lawmakers helped push over the finish line the Russia sanctions legislation, named in honor of its original author, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally and staunch Ukraine supporter. While speaking to reporters during a roundtable discussion on cybercrime Wednesday at the White House, Trump repeated his assertion that imposing sanctions on Russia would have harmed negotiations to free Hubbard. “I was in the midst of getting Stephen out of Russia, and if we did what these foolish people wanted me to do, he wouldn't be coming out right now. He'd be in there for another 20 years. So the last thing I was going to do is break up that," he said.

Hubbard, 74, was arrested by Russia in 2022 during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He was taken from his home in eastern Ukraine and then charged and convicted with mercenary activity. The State Department labeled Hubbard as “wrongfully detained,” signaling they believed the charges were made up. Trump’s special envoy for peace negotiations, Steve Witkoff, secured Hubbard’s release after meeting Wednesday with Putin in Moscow.

Witkoff called the Russian leader a “humanitarian” in asking for Hubbard’s release. Witkoff’s remarks drew immediate backlash from Republicans and Democrats who pointed to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and incessant bombing of the country, which has caused escalating civilian deaths and suffering. Putin also faces an international arrest warrant for orchestrating the mass kidnapping of Ukrainian children. Trump equivocated on whether Putin is a humanitarian when asked about Witkoff's remarks. "Well, I guess you could say for that particular purpose, for the purpose of allowing a man who was thinking he was gonna be in prison for life out, but I wouldn't say anything one way or another,” the president told reporters.