Full Breakdown
Romney Criticizes Trump’s Russia Deal Over Hostage Release and Sanctions Waiver
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Trump’s Russia Deal and Hostage Release
President Donald Trump approved a deal that freed Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American detained in Russia since 2022, and simultaneously waived a sweeping sanctions package against Russia. The agreement was brokered by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and announced after Trump signed an executive order exempting Russia from the sanctions passed by Congress the previous month. The hostage release and the waiver were presented as a single diplomatic achievement.
Background & Context
The United States has maintained extensive sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. In the weeks preceding the hostage release, Trump also announced a separate arrangement to import Russian diesel fuel, prompting criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several Republican lawmakers. The sanctions waiver and the diesel deal were framed by the administration as steps to secure the American captive, while opponents warned they could bolster Russia’s war effort.
Official Statements & Responses
- Romney posted on X, invoking Winston Churchill and George Washington, to argue that negotiating with an aggressor risks compromising U.S. imperatives.
- Arizona Sen.
- Utah Sen. John Curtis publicly urged Trump to reverse the Russian diesel agreement, aligning with other Republicans who view the waivers as detrimental to Ukraine.
Criticism & Opposition
Romney’s criticism marks a rare public rebuke from the former senator, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight since leaving office in 2025. Flake and Curtis joined the dissent, emphasizing that the policy could “strengthen our enemies” and calling on fellow Republicans to speak out against normalizing such deals.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Churchill could have shortened WW2 by years if he had just ‘done a deal’ with (Adolf) Hitler. George Washington could have done a deal to end the American Revolution,” — Mitt Romney
- “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, a truly big and important deal for the U.S.,” — Donald Trump, brokered by president
- “There is no other way to describe this move, other than to acknowledge that it weakens our friends and strengthens our enemies,” — Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake