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Trump faces fresh questions over ties to ‘humanitarian’ Putin

South China Morning Post21 October 2026, 17:08 UTCRussia

US President Donald Trump’s pivot away from Ukraine has triggered fresh questions about his attachment to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the man a top American envoy flattered on Wednesday as a “humanitarian”. Trump has cast his dealings with Putin as part of a mega-deal that has secured the release of American detainee Stephen Hubbard – and which Trump says will end Russia’s war on Ukraine. At the same time, he has repeatedly berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and called for him to...

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