My take: Putin gave up nothing by releasing a 74-year-old American held as a pawn for this type of moment. Putin is not a humanitarian, despite how Mr Witkoff addressed him. And whereas President Trump says he gave up nothing for Stephen Hubbard's release, you will hear all the experts correctly say that he did: busting his own sanctions for a diesel deal with Putin that could put $4 billion into his war chest; inviting Putin to the G20; and dumping Putin's victim, Ukraine, face down in the mud, as it tries to defend its sovereignty and its freedom. You’ve heard the historians call all this appeasement, going against America's own democratic values.
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