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Hillary Clinton launches blistering attack on Trump for siding with ‘murderous dictator’ after prisoner swap deal

Hillary Clinton has launched a scathing attack against Donald Trump after the former President heaped praises on Putin for the historic prisoner swap deal.

Published on: Aug 6, 2024, 16:31:39 IST
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Hillary Clinton has launched a scathing attack against Donald Trump after the former President heaped praises on Russian President Vladimir Putin for the historic prisoner swap deal between Russia and West.

Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady and Democratic nominee for president in 2016, expressed her outrage over Donald Trump's praise of Vladimir Putin. (REUTERS FILE PHOTO)
Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady and Democratic nominee for president in 2016, expressed her outrage over Donald Trump's praise of Vladimir Putin. (REUTERS FILE PHOTO)

Speaking at a rally in Atlanta, Trump recently credited Putin for striking “another great deal” with the historic prisoner exchange involving the United States, Russia, and other nations, which resulted in the return of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan, among others.

“By the way, I would like to congratulate Vladimir Putin for having made yet another great deal,” Trump asserted, asking the crowd, “Did you see the deal we made?”

According to Trump, some of the “greatest killers anywhere in the world” were released under the deal. “Some of the most evil killers they got. And we got our people back.”

“We have 59 hostages; I never paid anything. ... Boy, we make some horrible, horrible deals. It’s nice to say we got ’em back, but does that set a bad precedent?”

The Republican presidential nominee earlier boasted that the Kremlin leader wouldn’t release Gershkovich “for anyone else” but him.

Clinton blasts Trump for giving credit to Putin

Clinton, the former First Lady and Democratic nominee for president in 2016, expressed her outrage over Trump's praise of Putin.

In a blistering post on X, she wrote: “Even by Trump standards, siding with a murderous dictator who took Americans hostage is traitorous and pathetic."

“You do not, in fact, have to hand it to Putin,” she added.

The deal has been welcomed as a victory for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who has taken Biden's place atop the Democratic ticket for November's election.

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Germany and other allies assisted the US government in negotiating the agreement.

Russia and Belarus released sixteen prisoners as part of an extraordinary prisoner exchange. In exchange, ten inmates from many Western nations were turned over to Moscow.

Two well-known US citizens, Gershkovich and Whelan, returned home as part of a swap involving multiple nations.

Vadim Krasikov, a Russian who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany for the murder of a Georgian citizen of Chechen, was also freed.

  • Shweta Kukreti
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Shweta Kukreti

    Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More

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