Praise for Putin after a prisoner release

Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy on the Ukraine war, met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday, 21 October, as Washington pushed for a new settlement and pressed Kyiv to agree to one. The meeting coincided with Russia's release of a 74-year-old retired US school teacher, a US citizen held in Russian custody since 2022. In a video clip carried by Russian state media and posted on X, Witkoff addressed the Russian president directly.

“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also sir, and I salute that. I commend you.”

The remark drew fast criticism at home and abroad. Asked at the White House about the 'humanitarian' comment, Trump pointed to the release and said he would not say anything one way or the other. inews reported that no Russian or pro-Russian detainee was exchanged for the teacher, and that a German journalist was arrested for spying within 24 hours of his release.

London rejects the description

Downing Street rejected the characterisation within hours of the remarks being reported. A spokesperson said the government did not recognise it, pointing to the number of people Putin has killed, both Ukrainians and Russians sent to the front. The spokesperson went on to say:

“He is starving children and the elderly of the heat and warmth, and systematically targeting critical national infrastructure.”

The spokesperson also cited Ukraine's foreign minister, who said the residents of Kyiv had heard what Russian humanitarianism really sounds like that night. Asked whether the government would make the same case directly to the US administration, the spokesperson said Britain engages regularly with partners on Ukraine and would continue to do so. Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander told LBC the same day that Britain sees Putin as the leader who illegally invaded Ukraine and whose government was responsible for attempted assassinations on UK soil.

“We simply do not recognise the description of Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke on Wednesday evening, and Downing Street said the two leaders stressed the need to keep momentum on ending Russia's attacks. Burnham had welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street the previous week.

Bipartisan criticism in Washington

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis posted a dictionary definition of 'humanitarian' on social media and called Witkoff's remark embarrassing and outrageous. Sen. John Cornyn called Putin a stone cold killer, and Sen. Joni Ernst said Putin was not an American friend and was certainly no humanitarian. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal criticised what he called Witkoff's pathetic fawning. The Washington Post reported that the backlash comes as Trump seeks wins before the midterms, while Republicans face low presidential approval ratings and voter frustration over inflation.

Talks set as strikes continue

After Witkoff's meeting, Moscow agreed in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States. Trump has said Russia and Ukraine are 'maybe now the closest we've been' to ending the war. inews reported an agreement to hold three-way technical talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US, but expected senior leaders to stay away and Zelenskyy's government to be unlikely to take part.

Russia's attacks did not pause. The Guardian reported a drone strike on Kharkiv while Putin and Witkoff were speaking, and The Independent cited Zelenskyy's account of a drone strike in the Kharkiv region that killed six people, including children, a little over 24 hours before Witkoff's remarks. On Thursday, 22 October, Zelenskyy said three waves of ballistic strikes had hit Kyiv, and inews reported two confirmed dead and 34 injured across the country, including five children, in overnight attacks.