VANCE DEFENDS PUTIN PRAISE AS THE MIDTERMS APPROACH
Asked whether he agreed with Steve Witkoff calling Putin a “humanitarian,” Vice President JD Vance defended the gesture.
“I agree with Steve Witkoff saying something nice to a person who just released an American hostage.”
Vance argued that bringing Stephen Hubbard home mattered more than Witkoff’s choice of words. Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher designated wrongfully detained by Washington, had spent more than four years in Russian custody. His freedom is welcome, and his family deserves this reunion.
The timing also gives the administration a political benefit. Announced on October 21, just 13 days before the November 3 midterm elections, the release provides a diplomatic success to promote as Americans prepare to vote. That does not establish an electoral motive, but the favourable publicity is clear.
Vance’s response asks the public to focus on that success. It leaves the underlying question unanswered: why describe Putin as a humanitarian while Russia continues attacking Ukrainian communities?
Republican Senator Thom Tillis also condemned Witkoff’s remarks, pointing to Ukrainian families whose children have been abducted or killed
Americans can welcome Hubbard’s release and scrutinise the praise offered to the leader whose forces detained him. Securing his freedom deserves recognition. Putin’s conduct in Ukraine still demands accountability.