Witkoff faces backlash for calling Putin a "humanitarian": "Embarrassing and outrageous"
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff faced bipartisan backlash after calling Vladimir Putin a 'humanitarian' during a meeting regarding the release of an American detainee. The comment drew sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers who condemned the characterization given the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Why it matters
The incident highlights deep divisions within U.S. political circles regarding diplomatic rhetoric toward Russia and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Washington — U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff faced immediate backlash Wednesday for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian" after he released 74-year-old Stephen Hubbard, an American who had been imprisoned in Russia for four years and who had been determined to be wrongfully detained."You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian," Witkoff told Putin Wednesday in response to Hubbard's release. "You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again."Witkoff made the comment in St. Petersburg during a visit with the Russian president that was aimed at moving toward a resolution of the Ukraine war that Putin started four and a half years ago. Over the past month, Russia has been intensifying its strikes against civilian and energy infrastructure to try to cripple the power grid before the brutal Ukrainian winter. Mr.
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