Morning Joe’s Jonathan Lemire Slams Trump Envoy for ‘Saluting’ Putin Ahead of Deadly Missile Attack: ‘Putin Is Playing Them!’
Morning Joe host Jonathan Lemire slammed President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff for “saluting” Russian strongman Vladimir Putin in a Friday meeting in Saint Petersburg, just hours before the Kremlin ordered a deadly missile attack on Ukraine – arguing the administration was being played.
Two Russian ballistic missiles hit the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, killing at least 34 people and injuring 117 others in what officials described as one of the deadliest attacks since the start of the war. Trump called the attack “a mistake.”
On Monday’s Morning Joe, contributor Richard Haass accused the U.S. of giving “Russia a free hand” and complained that the only pressure Trump had put on Putin was through his international tariffs regime, which he argued had hurt Russia’s economy by reducing “demand for oil.”
Lemire was quick to weigh in: “No direct tariffs on Russia, though we should add.”
He added: “And we should make clear some of those killed in that Ukrainian city were on their way to church service when the missiles landed.”
In addition, the host said that the Trump administration’s approach to diplomacy with Russia meant that Putin was “playing them” to give himself more time. Lemire specifically cited Witkoff’s meeting on Friday as proof, characterizing the diplomat’s greeting to Putin as a deferential salute.
Russia has been emboldened since these peace talks began because they haven’t been asked to give up anything. Putin is playing them, stringing them along, running for time because he wants to continue this bombardment. And while the U.S. Is only asking Ukraine to sacrifice , and we should note, Steve Witkoff, the presidential envoy, you know, greeted Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg on Friday with his hand on his heart, saluting him. And then Putin hours later gave orders to send these dropped these missiles there in that Ukrainian city.
Watch above via MSNBC.
