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Video of former Vice President Mike Pence meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin has resurfaced online after the Republican said he had gone "toe-to-toe" with Russia's leader.
Several Twitter users shared a brief video from Canada's Global News of the 2018 meeting between Putin and Pence. One clip, shared by David Weissman, had been viewed nearly half a million times by Wednesday morning.
The video showed Pence shaking hands with Putin during the East Asia Summit in Singapore in November 2018, when he was serving as vice president during former President Donald Trump's administration.
Weissmann, who describes himself in part as a "former Trump supporter," shared the footage and mocked the former vice president for his comments about Putin.
"If Mike Pence had no problem saying ok to Putin out in the open, then what the hell was said between Putin and Trump in Helsinki behind closed doors?" Weissman wrote.
In the video, Pence is seen with then national security adviser John Bolton and an interpreter. The former VP appears to respond "OK" several times during the brief exchange.
A White House pool report covering the event noted that Pence and Putin had sat next to each other during a plenary session
At the time, Pence's then press secretary, Alyssa Farah Griffin, said the two men "discussed the upcoming G20 Summit and touched on the issues that will be discussed when President Trump and President Putin are both in Argentina for the summit."
Griffin also responded to Weissman's tweet on Wednesday, writing: "Hey! I was here in Singapore (you can see me in the background) I've spoken about this before. Shortly after this ASEAN session, Pence pulled Putin and Lavrov aside & told them we knew what they were trying to do interfering in our democracy & to stop."
The 2018 pool report said: "Mr. Pence didn't appear to smile during the conversation. Messrs. Bolton and Putin did a fair amount of the talking, as Mr. Pence stood and listened."
On Tuesday night, Pence told a Young America's Foundation event at the University of Virginia that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy was taking a "courageous" and "inspiring" stand.
"I've also met Vladimir Putin. I stood toe to toe with him, and I've told him things he didn't want to hear," the former vice president said.
Pence went on: "Putin only understands strength, and America must meet this moment with American strength."
"That means more military aid to the brave and courageous Ukrainian military. That means more economic sanctions on Putin and his regime," he said, adding that it also meant more humanitarian aid.
Pence's recent statements and public appearances have fueled speculation that he may seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He would likely have to contend with former President Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, although no candidate has officially announced a campaign yet.
Putin launched what he described as a "special military operation" into Ukraine on February 24. Since that date, the UN believes around 11 million Ukrainians have fled their homes, with around 4.3 million leaving for other countries and about 6.5 million internally displaced.
According to the UN human rights office, 1,842 civilians had been killed and a further 2,493 injured during the ongoing war in Ukraine as of April 11.
Newsweek contacted Pence's office for comment.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more