“WTF, Steve?”: Witkoff’s praise for Putin angers US senators from both parties
Trump’s envoy called Putin a “humanitarian” after the release of a US citizen. Republicans and Democrats criticised him, while Vance and Trump came to his defence.
Archive image · Photo: kremlin.ru / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Steve Witkoff, special envoy of US President Donald Trump, drew bipartisan criticism in Washington with praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin. At their meeting in St. Petersburg he thanked Putin for releasing US citizen Stephen Hubbard and, according to a video posted by Russian state broadcaster RT, said: “You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that.” Before that, he said: “You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian.”
Republican Senator Thom Tillis wrote: “WTF, Steve?” His party colleague John Cornyn of Texas called Putin a “stone cold killer,” while Democratic Senator Mark Kelly called him a “war criminal.” Vice President JD Vance defended the envoy, saying he agreed with Witkoff “saying something nice to a person who just released an American hostage.”
Trump himself said that “for that particular purpose” one could probably say so, but that he would not say anything one way or the other. Hubbard was arrested in 2022 and convicted as an alleged mercenary for Ukraine, which he denied; Washington considers him wrongfully detained. Witkoff also said Putin had agreed to new three-way talks, but that Russia still does not agree to a ceasefire.