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US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, drew criticism on Wednesday after praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” during a meeting held to secure the release of an American citizen detained for years after his arrest in Ukraine.
Witkoff made the remarks in Saint Petersburg while thanking Putin for freeing Stephen Hubbard. He said Putin had spoken often of Trump’s humanitarian instincts, then added that the Russian leader was “a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that.” He told Putin, “I commend you, and I thank you again.”
After the meeting, the Kremlin said Russia was ready in principle to rejoin three-way talks with Ukraine and the United States aimed at ending the war.
The praise landed awkwardly given Putin’s role in the war. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Putin ordered in February 2022, is the largest war in Europe since World War II. Witkoff’s words also come as Trump’s recent shift away from Ukraine and toward Putin faces mounting scrutiny.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a frequent critic of Trump in recent months, responded on X with evident disbelief. “WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian’,” he wrote.
Trump, who appointed Witkoff, a business friend, as a roving envoy for the Ukraine, Iran and Gaza conflicts after taking office last year, played down the remarks. Asked about them, he said the label could apply “for that particular purpose,” meaning the release of a man who believed he would spend his life in prison. He added that he “wouldn’t say anything one way or the other.”
Vice President JD Vance defended the envoy at an event in Ohio. He said he agreed with “Steve Witkoff saying something nice to a person who just released an American hostage.” Vance said Witkoff is a diplomat whose job is to go to Russia and get a job done, “whether you agree with the underlying sentiment or not.”
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