US envoy calls Putin 'humanitarian' amid Ukraine war, sparking backlash

news.yahoo.co.jp (Japanese) —

US peace envoy Steve Witkoff praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian" during a meeting in St. Petersburg, drawing criticism on October 21. Witkoff made the remarks while securing the release of detained American Stephen Hubbard. Witkoff told Putin, "You often call my president Trump a humanitarian, but you are also a humanitarian. I respect you." The Kremlin announced Russia is prepared to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US to end the war. Republican Senator Tom Tillis expressed shock, posting on X, "Look up the meaning of 'humanitarian.'" Trump defended the comment, while Vice President JD Vance supported Witkoff's diplomatic approach.


With a significance score of 2.3, this news ranks in the top 20% of today's 32438 analyzed articles.

Get summaries of news with significance over 5.5 (usually ~10 stories per week). Read by 10,000+ subscribers: