Putin needles U.S. by giving Trump envoy an award meant for CIA official whose son died fighting for Russia
Putin needles U.S. by giving Trump envoy an award meant for CIA official whose son died fighting for Russia
Putin needles U.S. by giving Trump envoy an award meant for CIA official whose son died fighting for Russia
Washington — Russian President Vladimir Putin gave President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff an award to pass along to a senior CIA official whose son was killed in Ukraine while fighting alongside Russian forces, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The award, the Order of Lenin, was meant to be handed off to Juliane Gallina, whose 21-year-old son, Michael Gloss, was killed in 2024.
Gallina is currently serving at the CIA as deputy director for digital innovation. It could not be immediately determined what was done with the award.
Multiple sources told CBS News that Putin gave Witkoff the award during his trip to Russia this week, which a Russian official said the U.S. initiated, to discuss ending the Ukraine war.
The gesture by Putin, known for mind games and attempts to expose adversaries' points of weakness, was likely meant to raise unhelpful questions and highlight that a CIA official's son fought for Russia in the war.
"Here is this remembrance of how we got your son killed and realize we as an enemy nation state were able to get it in your hands personally."
Think about how chilling this must be for a parent AND a ranking CIA deputy director.
Then consider how disgusting and utterly feeble it is that witkoff actually accepted this request.
For anyone still having trouble grasping the vileness of this, it's in the same line of the Kremlin sending a medal to every American household that had a child killed by Russian action/hands.
This is not meant to intimidate him as much as bring to Americans attention how close his ties are to Russia.
Witkoff got into politics because he's willing to suck up to Trump and has been saying Russia should keep the areas in Ukraine that it hold because they "want to be Russian", even though we all know that's a lie and even if it were true, you can't just militarily invade a country and take the land. Offer them visas or citizenship if you really are concerned.
Don't have any sympathy for this guy. He knew what he signed up for. Putin is playing games with the American people, not with this guy, showing us how far gone even the illusion of propriety is.
Witkoff's a messenger boy. He is incapable of independent thought.
Or Bibi and the golden pager.