US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, compared Russia’s intensifying attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure to Nazi Germany’s bombing campaign against Britain, warning that Vladimir Putin is seeking to break civilian morale.
“Putin’s tactics have changed from using WWI-style tactics on the front lines to attacking major metropolitan areas in the country to undermine morale,” Shaheen said.
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“It’s the same tactic Hitler used in Britain before WWII, and targeting the country’s energy infrastructure.”
Her comparison evokes the Blitz, Nazi Germany’s sustained bombing campaign against British cities during World War II, which began in 1940.
The remarks come as Russia continues launching ballistic missiles and attack drones against Ukrainian residential neighborhoods, transportation networks and power infrastructure ahead of winter.
In an Oct. 19 statement following a meeting with Zelensky, Shaheen reaffirmed bipartisan congressional support for Ukraine and criticized measures she argued could provide Russia with additional war revenue.
“Putin only responds to strength,” she said, calling for greater pressure on Moscow rather than Kyiv.
‘WTF, Steve?’ – US lawmakers reject Witkoff’s praise of Putin
Shaheen’s remarks come amid bipartisan outrage in Congress over US envoy Steve Witkoff’s description of Putin as a “humanitarian” following the release of American detainee Stephen Hubbard, 74, who had been imprisoned in Russia for more than four years.
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During Wednesday’s meeting in St. Petersburg, Witkoff thanked Putin for releasing Hubbard and praised the Russian leader.
“You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that,” Witkoff told Putin.
Shaheen condemned the remarks, calling Putin a war criminal and a dictator responsible for killing thousands of Ukrainians.
She also challenged the notion that releasing Hubbard made Putin a humanitarian, stressing that the American should never have been imprisoned in the first place.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis reacted with disbelief in a post on X.
“WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian,’” Tillis wrote, describing Witkoff’s praise as embarrassing and outrageous.
He urged the envoy to ask Ukrainian families whose children had been abducted or killed by Russia whether they considered Putin a humanitarian.
Republican Senator John Cornyn was equally dismissive.
“No. Putin is a stone cold killer,” he wrote.
Republican Congressman Don Bacon called Witkoff’s remarks “another embarrassment,” while Senator Joni Ernst rejected any portrayal of Putin as a humanitarian, pointing to Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukrainian civilians.
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