Unlike most of Trump’s boasts, this one may be true, but not in a way that reflects well on him. Perhaps he’s right that Putin “will do that for me, but not for anyone else.” But that is because Putin rightly considers Trump an ally in whose success he is invested.
What’s worse is that, by openly signaling to Putin that he does not want Gershkovich to be freed before the election, he is destroying whatever chances may exist to secure his release before then. If Gershkovich goes free prior to the election, Trump would look foolish, and Trump understands perfectly well Putin does not want that to happen.
collusion: noun (Law) An agreement between two or more persons to defraud a person of his rights, by the forms of law, or to obtain an object forbidden by law.