U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is facing sharp criticism after calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian” following the release of 74-year-old Stephen Hubbard, an American who spent four years in a Russian prison and was officially declared wrongfully detained.
“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian,” Witkoff told Putin on Wednesday after Hubbard’s release. “You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again.”
Witkoff made the remarks in St. Petersburg during talks with Putin focused on potential progress toward ending the war in Ukraine, which the Russian president launched four and a half years ago. At the same time, Russia has intensified attacks on civilian targets and energy facilities over the past month, seeking to damage Ukraine’s power grid ahead of another harsh winter.
The envoy’s description of Putin as a “humanitarian” quickly drew condemnation from Republicans who have publicly challenged the president and members of his administration.
“WTF, Steve?” wrote North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. “Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian.’ What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say. You should go back to Ukraine and ask the families of the children Putin has kidnapped and murdered whether they agree your friend Putin is a ‘humanitarian.'”
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas responded to a video of Witkoff’s comments: “No. Putin is a stone cold killer,” he wrote on X.
“Another embarrassment,” said Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who has been critical of the Trump administration’s handling of Russia and Ukraine.
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Witkoff’s praise came shortly after Mr. Trump unexpectedly waived new U.S. sanctions on Russia last week, just two days before they were scheduled to take effect. The decision put him at odds with Congress and his late ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham. The waivers followed Mr. Trump’s move one week earlier to relax sanctions on Russian diesel and announce an agreement with Putin to bring the fuel into the U.S. market.
Mr. Trump has also grown increasingly frustrated with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Tuesday, he said, “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven’t been doing much.”
Before traveling to Russia, Witkoff visited Oslo, Norway, where he met and embraced Zelenskyy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the encounter as “positive.”
