Trump says Witkoff's 'humanitarian' remark about Putin applied to 'that particular purpose'; Republican senators criticise the envoy
Asked whether he would describe Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian, as his envoy Steve Witkoff did after Russia freed American Stephen Hubbard, President Donald Trump said it applied to the release. Several Republican lawmakers criticised Witkoff's words.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday 21 October that his special envoy Steve Witkoff’s description of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” applied to the release of a detained American, as several Republican lawmakers criticised the remark, CBS News reported.
Witkoff spoke in St Petersburg after Putin released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old US citizen who had been held in Russia for four years and whom the US had determined to be wrongfully detained. “You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again,” Witkoff told Putin.
Asked later at a White House roundtable on cyber crime whether he would describe Putin the same way, Trump said: “Well, I guess you have to say for that particular purpose, for the purpose of allowing a man who was thinking he was going to be in prison for life out.” He added: “But I wouldn’t say anything one way or the other.”
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina called it “an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say” in a post on X. Senator John Cornyn of Texas wrote on X: “No. Putin is a stone cold killer.” Senator Susan Collins of Maine said Putin was “certainly not a humanitarian” and called him “the aggressor in the war against Ukraine”. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa wrote that Putin “is not our friend”. Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska called the remark “another embarrassment”.
Former US ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor told CBS News it was “absolutely a good thing” that Hubbard was coming home, but said Russia should not be given credit for releasing him.
For Wednesday’s talks in St Petersburg, see our earlier report.
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