Witkoff faces backlash for praising Putin as a humanitarian

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff faced bipartisan backlash from lawmakers and Ukraine after praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian" during talks in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. Republicans including Sens. Thom Tillis, John Cornyn, and Joni Ernst joined Democrats in condemning the remarks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noting Russian strikes on Kyiv followed the talks. The criticism comes as President Donald Trump seeks successes ahead of the November midterm elections. Witkoff made the comments after Russia's release of U.S. citizen Stephen Hubbard. The backlash highlights tensions over Trump's broader efforts to court Putin, including waiving sanctions on Russian diesel, which Senate Democrats plan to investigate.