Russian President Vladimir Putin shamelessly thanked Hamas during a Wednesday night Kremlin meeting with Alexander Trufanov, a Russian national freed after spending nearly 500 days in Hamas captivity.

“Here we have to offer a word of gratitude to the leadership and to the political wing of Hamas for a gesture made to us in carrying out this humanitarian act. The fact that you are now free is a result of Russia’s many years of stable relations with the Palestinian people, with the representatives of different organizations,” Putin told Trufanov and his family, according to Russian news agencies.

At the meeting, Putin presented flowers to Trufanov’s mother and fiancée while claiming Russia “had truly done everything possible” to secure the hostage’s freedom. He also pledged to “undertake whatever was necessary” to ensure those still in captivity would be freed.

However, Putin thanking the terrorists responsible for Oct. 7 shouldn’t come as a surprise coming from a regime that has consistently aligned itself with Iran and its terror proxies throughout the region.

Trufanov was among approximately 250 hostages seized during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. His mother Elena, fiancée Sapir Cohen, and grandmother were also taken hostage but released in late 2023. Trufanov’s father was killed during the attack. He was finally freed in February as part of a six-week Gaza ceasefire.

In turn, Trufanov expressed gratitude to Putin for helping secure his release and voiced hope for the liberation of all remaining hostages, whom he described as “like brothers.” Russia’s chief rabbi and the head of the federation of Russian Jewish communities were also present at the meeting.