US President Donald Trump has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to release American citizen Stephen Hubbard following a telephone request from him. He described the development as a diplomatic success amid continuing tensions between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at a Republican campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, President Trump said Hubbard had returned to the United States after spending years in Russian custody. Mr Trump claimed that he raised the case directly with Putin during a telephone conversation yesterday and secured an immediate commitment to release the American citizen. He added that Hubbard had since arrived in the United States and reunited with his family.

The remarks came as Trump highlighted his foreign policy record, including efforts to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.