Witkoff faces backlash for calling Putin a “humanitarian”: “Embarrassing and outrageous”

Updated on: October 21, 2026 / 10:57 AM EDT / CBS News

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is facing immediate backlash for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian" after he released 74-year-old Stephen Hubbard, an American who had been imprisoned in Russia for four years and who had been determined to be wrongfully detained.

"You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian," Witkoff told Putin Wednesday in response to Hubbard's release. "You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again."

Witkoff made the comment in St. Petersburg during a visit with the Russian president that was aimed at moving toward a resolution of the Ukraine war that Putin started four and a half years ago. Over the past month, Russia has been intensifying its strikes against civilian and energy infrastructure to try to cripple the power grid before the brutal Ukrainian winter.

Witkoff's "humanitarian" comment sparked immediate backlash from Republicans who have openly criticized the president and his administration.

"WTF, Steve?" wrote North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. "Look up the definition of 'humanitarian.' What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say. You should go…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/