Romney invokes Churchill and George Washington in rare second rebuke of Trump's Russia deal

SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah Sen. Mitt Romney pushed back against a deal brokered by President Donald Trump freeing a U.S. hostage from Russian custody, warning of the long-term implications.

In a statement posted to social media, Romney invoked former Prime Minister Winston Churchill and George Washington to criticize Trump's decision to waive Russian sanctions as part of the agreement to release a hostage who has been held by Russia for four years. The agreement, Romney suggested, risks compromising more imperatives when it benefits an aggressor such as Russia.

"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," Romney wrote. "(Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy is in good company."

It's rare pushback from Romney, who has largely refrained from wading into the political spotlight since leaving office in 2025. But it's notably the second time in just five days the former Utah senator has posted in opposition to Trump's dealings in Russia.

Romney has posted on X a total of five times in 2026. The last two, responding to the war in Russia and Ukraine, were in the last week.

Romney's latest statement comes after Russia released an American hostage on Wednesday as part of a deal reached by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been helping lead talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old Michigan resident, was jailed in Russia in 2022 on charges that he was fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2024.

Trump praised the deal, pointing to the fact the U.S. did not need to release a Russian prisoner in exchange.

The deal comes after Trump signed an executive order on Friday night that would exempt Russia from a sweeping sanctions package that Congress passed last month, raising concerns among Ukrainian officials the deal would financially boost Russia as it continues its invasion. The order did not explain why the sanctions were being lifted, but Trump suggested it helped secure the hostage deal.

"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.," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. "If sanctions would have been placed, certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt."

Romney pushed back against Trump's Russian waivers in a social media post over the weekend, warning against making deals with Russia at the expense of Ukraine, a U.S. ally.

Trump previously announced a deal with Putin the week before to import Russian diesel fuel, a decision that elicited backlash from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as congressional Republicans. Sen. John Curtis was among those who urged the president to reverse course.

Former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake has also weighed in, posting a series of statements on social media pushing against Trump's recent statements on Ukraine.

"There is no other way to describe this move, other than to acknowledge that it weakens our friends and strengthens our enemies," Flake said of the diesel fuel deal.

After Trump told reporters this week that Russia "frankly, has been fine with Ukraine," Flake called on fellow Republicans to decry the sentiment.

"Please speak out, Republicans," he wrote in a post on X. "We cannot normalize this."

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