President Donald Trump directly tied the waiving of Russia-related sanctions to the release of an American detained in Russia, despite stating earlier that the United States gave Moscow “nothing in exchange” for the freed American.
“If you were to put those sanctions on, or whatever you want to call them, you could forget about him,” Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, referring to Stephen Hubbard, who had been imprisoned in Russia for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine.
“You’d never see him again,” Trump added, arguing that easing sanctions was part of smoothing over negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Earlier Wednesday in the East Room, however, Trump said, “We gave nothing in exchange, which is very rare.”
The measures Trump most recently waived were part of legislation named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, which Trump signed earlier this year. Some Republicans — including the late senator’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham, for whom Trump is campaigning Wednesday night — have expressed their disagreement with the president’s move.
When Collins asked Trump what Graham said to him about the sanctions, the president immediately pivoted to talking about the freed American.
“We were in the midst of negotiating (Hubbard’s release), and a lot of stupid people said, and people that don’t know how life works, they said, ‘Why aren’t you putting Russia sanctions,’ and all this, in the midst of a negotiation to try and get a long-term hostage back from Russia.”
Trump posted on Truth Social earlier Wednesday that “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.”