Stephen Hubbard sat beside President Trump in the Oval Office on Friday and described the moment he finally believed, after more than four years in a Russian prison, that he was actually going home.

"Actions speak louder than words. I never trusted what they said," Hubbard told reporters, recalling the repeated promises of release he'd heard over the years. He said he only started to believe it when guards handed him new clothes and led him toward the exit. On the drive from Moscow to St. Petersburg that followed, he said, "then I believed, finally believed ... I'm really going somewhere." He added that he did not think he would have survived another year behind bars.

The 74-year-old retired Michigan teacher, whom Russian authorities had accused of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, was released last week during a meeting in St. Petersburg between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He had been held since 2022 and was the only American in Russian custody the State Department had officially designated "wrongfully detained."

"ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS."

Trump, who called Hubbard a "very special man" who "suffered greatly," asked him directly whether he'd been treated reasonably well in custody; Hubbard said yes, adding that some guards had treated him "sympathetically." The president has said he personally asked Putin to free Hubbard during a phone call, and that — unlike several past prisoner releases — this one did not involve a swap of any kind. He has suggested the release is instead linked to his decision to exempt Russia from a round of sanctions Congress had passed, telling reporters last week, "we were in the midst of negotiating," and "if I would have done that, you would not have Mr. Hubbard coming back." The sanctions have not been reimposed since Hubbard's release.

Hubbard is the second American freed by Russia in roughly two months, following the August release of Marine veteran Robert Gilman. Critics of the administration's Russia policy have noted that the releases have come during a stretch in which Trump has taken several actions widely seen as benefiting Moscow, including the sanctions exemption; the White House maintains the priority is simply bringing Americans home.

Friday's Oval Office meeting was arranged on short notice, with CBS News reporting it was first to the room as Trump invited cameras in to document the reunion. Hubbard appeared emotional throughout, pausing at points as he described the conditions he endured and the moment the ordeal finally ended.

What's next: Hubbard is expected to spend the coming weeks reconnecting with family in Michigan, while the administration continues to push for the release of other Americans it says remain in Russian custody.