Russia has freed an American imprisoned in Russia for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, with US President Donald Trump saying he is “on his way back home.”

Axar.az informs, citing CNN, Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, was designated by the US State Department as wrongfully detained.

Posting on social media on Wednesday, Trump said Hubbard “was just released from prison, at the request of President Donald J. Trump, made directly to President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation last week. Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family.”

Trump said the US did not have to give Russia anything in return, “out of respect for President Trump.” But he added that if he had not eased sanctions on Russia last week, a move which drew bi-partisan criticism, “certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt.”

Witkoff also personally thanked Putin for Hubbard’s release, saying “I want to thank you very much, the president sends his thanks … the whole nation sends their thanks because of Stephen Hubbard. Because of you, he’s going home to his family.”

Putin said during the meeting that Hubbard was at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, the same airport that Witkoff landed at earlier on Wednesday. He made the decision to release Hubbard “for humanitarian reasons,” Russian state media reported.