Witkoff Calls Putin a ‘Humanitarian’ After Talks, Drawing Backlash From Senate Republicans

US envoy Steve Witkoff wrapped up a nearly three-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, thanking him for the release of detained American Stephen Hubbard and calling the Russian leader a “humanitarian,” praise that drew a fast rebuke from Republican senators in Washington.

“You talk so much about Trump being a humanitarian, you are a humanitarian also, sir. I salute you, and I commend you,” Witkoff told Putin at the start of the talks, held inside the Constantine Palace, according to The Times.

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a Republican, wrote on X: “WTF, Steve? 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’.” Sen. John Cornyn of Texas posted: “No. Putin is stone cold killer,” alongside a video of Witkoff speaking.

Hubbard on his way home

Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, was freed Wednesday after more than four years in Russian custody, following a direct plea from President Donald Trump last week. Russia accused him of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine; his family and the State Department called the charges fabricated. He was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years after a closed trial, and the Biden administration designated him as wrongfully detained.

A video shared with CNN showed Hubbard meeting Witkoff and Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev at the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. Hubbard was seen standing and walking on his own. Witkoff told him Putin “sends you blessings and wishes you good things.”

Trump said the United States gave Russia nothing in return for the release. Posting on social media, he wrote that “out of respect for President Trump” Russia had not required anything in return. But in a separate post later, he said “if sanctions would have been placed, certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt.”

Hubbard will go to Washington to be reunited with his family before heading to a military facility in Texas, where he will take part in a US government program meant to help former detainees re-acclimate, according to CNN. His son, Joseph Coleman, told Reuters that he had spoken briefly with his father before he boarded the plane. “Today he seemed light in his step, a sense of happiness in his voice,” Coleman said.

No movement on Russia’s demands

The Kremlin said it was ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States in November. Witkoff said a US proposal for a trilateral meeting had been “accepted by the Ukrainians in Oslo yesterday and by the Russians in St. Petersburg today,” according to a US readout reported by CNN. The envoy flew to Russia a day after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European officials in Oslo.

There were no signs that Russia had moved from its maximalist demands. Putin adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the Ukrainian and European proposals Witkoff had relayed from Oslo lacked “substance.” Moscow has demanded that Ukraine give up the eastern Donbas region, shrink its military and pledge never to join NATO, according to CNN. Putin also expressed interest in restoring economic cooperation with the United States, and Russian negotiator Dmitriev said a recently announced diesel deal between the two countries would go ahead despite European criticism.

Trump spoke with Hubbard after the release and posted a photo of the former teacher with his family aboard the plane home. The State Department said it hoped Hubbard’s release “leads to the release of all Americans unjustly held in Russia.” Several Americans remain in Russian prisons, including Andre Khachatoorian, David Barnes, Aleksander Antonov and Olga Jezler, according to CNN and the Foley Foundation.

Reporting based on coverage by CNN, Reuters and The Times.