PUTIN'S GAMBIT: Ex-CIA chief warns of hidden motives after American's release

NOW. A VERY BUSY MORNING. STAY TUNED. >> Ainsley: STRAIGHT TO A FOX. NEWS ALERT. OVERNIGHT, IN A VICTORY FOR U.S. DIPLOMACY AN AMERICAN CITIZEN IS. FREED FROM RUSSIA. THE KREMLIN RELEASING RETIRED. MICHIGAN TEACHER STEPHEN HUBBARD. AFTER MORE THAN FOUR YEARS IN. DETAINMENT. HUBBARD WAS DETAINED BY RUSSIAN. FORCES IN APRIL OF 2022, ROUGHLY. TWO MONTHS AFTER THE RUSSIA. INVASION. THE FULL SCALE INVASION OF. UKRAINE. >> Lawrence: SO MUCH TO UNPACK.

HERE. PRESIDENT TRUMP PRESSED PUTIN. FOR HIS FREEDOM AND SPECIAL. ENVOY STEVE WITKOFF HELPED BRING. HIM HOME. IT COMES AS WITKOFF IN MOSCOW. ARE ENGAGED IN ONGOING TALKS TO. SECURE A LONG AWAITED PEACE DEAL. IN UKRAINE. >> WE'RE ALL OVER THIS. SPEAK LIVE WITH THE UKRAINIAN. PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY IN. JUST A MATTER OF MOMENTS. LET'S BRING IN DAN HOFFMAN A. FORMER CIA STATION CHIEF. ONE OF THE PLACES HE WAS WAS. MOSCOW. DAN, THIS GUY SHOULD HAVE NEVER. BEEN TAKEN IN 2022.

SCOOPED HIM UP AND REALIZED HE. WAS AN AMERICAN, 25 YEARS. TEACHING IN JAPAN. NOT BOTHERING ANYONE IN UKRAINE. HE WAS CAPTURED WHAT IS THE. SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS RELEASE AS. WE UNDERSTAND IT. >> SO, HE WAS WRONGFULLY. DETAINED, BRIAN, 74-YEAR-OLD. SCHOOL TEACHER FROM MICHIGAN. AFTER TEACHING IN JAPAN, HE. TAUGHT IN CYPRESS. HE MOVED TO UKRAINE IN EASTERN. UKRAINE IN 2014, AND THEN IN. APRIL OF 2022, THE RUSSIANS. WRONGFULLY DETAINED HIM.

THEY CLAIMED THAT HE HAD SIGNED. A CONTRACT WORTH $1,000 A MONTH. TO FIGHT ON THE BEHALF OF THE. UKRAINIANS, WHICH HE DENIED. THAT'S A CHIP FOR VLADIMIR. PUTIN. AND HE CASHED IT TODAY OR. YESTERDAY, I GUESS IT WAS, WHEN. THEY RELEASED HIM. AND PUTIN'S GOAL IS CLEAR, I. THINK. HE WANTED TO CREATE THE. IMPRESSION THAT RUSSIA IS ABLE. TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE UNITED. STATES. HE IS GIVING US SOMEONE WE WANT. BACK. BUT, IN RETURN, THE UNITED. STATES, OF COURSE OF COURSE, HAS.

MADE THIS DEAL WITH RUSSIA SO. THAT THE RUSSIANS CAN SELL. DIESEL. IT'S GOING TO BE MINIMAL IMPACT. ON THE WORLD MARKET BUT SHOULD. GIVE RUSSIA ADDITIONAL MONEY TO. FUND THEIR WAR EFFORT. OF COURSE PUTIN WANTS TO CREATE. THE IMPRESSION IT WOULD BE A BAD. IDEA TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH. HARSH LINDSAY GRAHAM PENALTIES. WHICH WOULD SO IMPACT THE. RUSSIAN ECONOMY. WHILE WE SHOULD CELEBRATE THE. RETURN OF ONE OF OUR OWN, AT THE. SAME TIME, WE HAVE TO BE CLEAR. I'D ABOUT THE KJB OPERATIVE IN. THE KREMLIN AND HIS MOTIVES.

DOES IT ALL MAKE SENSE? WAS THIS ALL GOING ON BEHIND THE. SCENES? >> I'M SURE IT WAS. I'M SURE THAT THE RUSSIANS HAVE. PLAYED THIS OUT. IF PAST IS PROLOGUE THEY HAVE. BEEN TEASING THIS, PERHAPS, FOR. MONTHS, MAYBE SINCE GOING BACK. TO JULY WHEN LINDSAY CLANCY.

-- LINDSEY GRAHAM.RELIEVE RUSST. FROM ECONOMIC PENALTIES AND AT. THE SAME TIME, WHAT PUTIN WANTS. TO DO IS TO TRY TO DRIVE A WEDGE. BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND. UKRAINE, MAKE IT APPEAR THAT. SAUDI ARABIA GOOD NEGOTIATOR. WHEN WE KNOW THEY ARE NOT. VLADIMIR PUTIN CONTINUES TO WAGE. WAR RUTHLESSLY AND NEVER. NEGOTIATED OR SOUGHT TO. NEGOTIATE AN END TO THIS WAR IN. GOOD FAITH, WHICH HE BEGAN AND. HE COULD STOP. >> Lawrence: YOU KNOW, DAN, I. THINK SOME PEOPLE ARE OFTEN --.

THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU. HAVE THESE POSITIONS. BUT YOU WERE THERE ON THE GROUND. FOR MANY YEARS, DEALING WITH. OPERATIONS. YOU UNDERSTAND PUTIN'S MIND SET. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS OLIVE. BRANCH, ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE SMALL. IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, COULD BRING THIS WAR TO END WITH. THE UNITED STATES MEDIATING.

THIS? -WISH I COULD SAY I'M THAT. OPTIMISTIC BUT I'M NOT. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN. INDICATION THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN. WANTS ANYTHING OTHER THAN TO. HAVE RUSSIAN TROOPS ENTER KYIV. HE HAS HAD NUMEROUS. OPPORTUNITIES. OFFERED RUSSIA A CHANCE TO. REJOIN THE WEST, TO RESET THEIR. COMMERCIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH US. PUTIN HAS REJECTED THAT EVERY. TIME. HE HAS CREATED THE IMPRESSION. THAT HE MIGHT DO IT. WANTS SOMETHING FROM US.

WHETHER IT'S NOT IMPOSING. ECONOMIC SANCTIONS OR AND NOT. PROVIDING UKRAINE THE MILITARY. ASSISTANCE THAT THEY NEED. RIGHT NOW EUROPE IS SHOULDER. THAT BURDEN. I SEE NO INDICATION THAT PUTIN. WANTS TO STOP. THAT'S JUST IS NOT IN THE CARDS. RIGHT NOW UNFORTUNATELY. WITKOFF JARED KUSHNER ZOOMED. IN THEY ARE GOING TO RUSSIA.

WHERE I KNOW THE PRESIDENT OF. FINLAND WAS PLAYING A ROLE. NOW GOING TO BE IN RUSSIA TO. TALK ABOUT WHAT UKRAINE OFFERED. WHAT THEY WANT UKRAINE TO DO IS. GIVE UP THE DONBAS, OR EVEN PART. OF DONETSK, THAT CITY. TELL ME THE UKRAINIAN MINDSET, WHY THEY WOULDN'T, SENILINGLY. THEY ARE UNWILLING TO DO EITHER. ONE OF THOSE THINGS RUSSIA, THE.

UNITED STATES, WOULD RESPECT. THEIR TERRITORIAL AND INTEGRITY. AND DEFEND IT THAT'S BEEN. BROKEN. WHAT UKRAINE DOESN'T WANT TO DO. IS GIVE UP TERRITORY IN THE. DONBAS, HEAVILY FORTIFIED. TERRITORY. ESPECIALLY TERRITORY RUSSIA HAS. NEVER CONQUERED, KNOWING FULL. WELL THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN AND. SUCK SIS SORE ANOTHER INVASION. AFTER A PAUSE OF A FEW MONTHS OR. A YEAR OR. SO THEY JUST WON'T DO THAT WE. HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITIES FOR A.

CEASEFIRE FOR SOME OPPORTUNITY. RUSSIA MIGHTING WILLING TO. NEGOTIATE IN GOOD FAITH I ALWAYS. BELIEVE THAT THE WAY TO END THIS. WAR IS TO PRESSURE RUSSIA, NOT. TO ENTICE THEM WITH MEETINGS TO. THE G 7 OR THE G-20 AND ECONOMIC. INCENTIVES AND THINGS. UKRAINE NEEDS TO HAVE THE. WEAPONS TO STOP RUSSIAN ARMY IN. THEIR TRACKS AND THEN YOU CAN. NEGOTIATE A SETTLEMENT. >> DAN, AS FAR AS STEPHEN.

HUBBARD COMING HOME, IS HE BEING. ESCORTED TO THE ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA AIRPORT. TO RETURN HOME. I UNDERSTAND STEVE WITKOFF IS. ACCOMPANYING HIM BACK HOME. THEY ARE TRAVELING ON A SECURE. GOVERNMENT MANAGED AIRCRAFT. WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE A. DIRECT ROUTE WEST OVER EUROPE. BECAUSE OF THE AIRSPACE BAN WITH. RUSSIA AND WESTERN NATIONS LIKE. AMERICA. SO, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS AN OLIVE. BRANCH, THIS IS WONDERFUL IS HE. COMING HOME.

SCOOP UP AN AMERICAN DID. THEY KNOW HE WAS AN AMERICAN? I KNOW HE WAS TEACHING ENGLISH. HIS SISTER SAID HE LIVED A VERY. SIMPLE LIFE WITH HIS PARTNER. THERE AND TOOK HIS SON TOO THERE. AFTER HIS DIVORCE AFTER HE LEFT. JAPAN. HE RECEIVED $300 A MONTH IN. PENSIONS, HIS SISTER SAID AND. TAUGHT ENGLISH ONLINE DID. THEY TARGET HIM BECAUSE THEY SAW. HE WAS TEACHING ENGLISH AND KNEW. HE WAS AN AMERICAN OR SCOOPED. HIM UP WHEN THEY TOOK THE TOWN. OF.

>> THEY SAW THAT AS AN. OPPORTUNITY. THE RUSSIANS GOT BACK ONE OF. THEIR MURDER DANGEROUS SNIPERS. WHO HAD BEEN. VLADIMIR PUTIN WOULD HAVE. CONSIDERED THATS AN OPPORTUNITY. PUT HIM ON THE SHELF AND DECIDE. DOWN THE ROAD HOW HE WANTED TO. USE THIS AMERICAN. AND HE FOUND HIS OPPORTUNITY. THERE ARE OTHER AMERICANS. WRONGLY DETAINED IN RUSSIA. I THINK IT'S WORTH REMEMBERING. WHAT SCARES VLADIMIR PUTIN THE. MOST IS DEMOCRACY. HE IS AT WAR WITH DEMOCRACY.

HE HAS NO INTEREST IN A PERSONAL. RELATIONSHIP WITH US. HE DOESN'T LIKE PRESIDENT TRUMP. HE NEVER HAS. SCARED IN THIS COUNTRY, FREEDOM. OF THE PRESS, FREEDOM OF. ASSEMBLY. HE COULD NEVER ALLOW IN UKRAINE, A COUNTRY WITH THE SIZEABLE. RUSSIAN-SPEAKING POPULATION ON. HIS BORDER. THAT'S THE LARGER ISSUE THAT WE. NEED TO KEEP IN MIND HERE. >> LIKE SOMEBODY ROBBING THE. BANK AND GIVING THE MONEY BACK. AND SAYING THANK YOU.

>> Ainsley: EXACTLY. >> Brian: THIS IS THE LAST. AMERICAN THAT WAS DETAINED AND. WAS TORTURED BY ALL COUNTS. HE HAS HAD A MISERABLE FULL. MONTH. >> Ainsley: THERE ARE STILL. AMERICANS DETAINED THERE, IS. THERE 8, DAN? IS THAT RIGHT? >> THERE ARE QUITE A NUMBER OF. AMERICANS THERE. RUSSIA WOULD BE HOLDING OUT. THEIR RELEASE TO NEGOTIATE WITH. US AND RECEIVE SOMETHING IN. RETURN. >> Lawrence: DAN HOFFMAN, NO ONE. KNOWS THE MIND OF PUTIN BETTER.