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US special envoy Steve Witkoff complimented Russian dictator Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” during their meeting in St. Petersburg — as President Trump desperately tries to get Russia back to the negotiating table to end the Ukraine war.
“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, and I thank you again,” Witkoff said Wednesday in a Russian state media video clip shared on social media.
The high praise for Putin came after Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher, was freed from a Russian prison where he had been imprisoned for over four years on charges he was fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
However, it also came after a Russian drone strike at a park killed beloved Ukrainian teacher Inna Mariukhna and her 1-year-old baby Angelina on Monday — with graphic images showing the baby dead in her stroller.
Four others were killed in the strike in Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine.
In September alone, Putin’s offensive killed 328 civilians as Russia bombarded Ukraine’s major cities and energy infrastructure, the UN reported.
Witkoff visited Putin to discuss trade and how to end the grueling war, now in its fifth year since Russia’s massive invasion into Ukraine in Feb. 2022.
Earlier Wednesday, Witkoff announced that Hubbard, 74, was released from captivity and he would be accompanying him home after his meeting with Putin.
On Tuesday, Witkoff was in Oslo meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky — who since revealed he is open to halting the front lines as part of a ceasefire while Kyiv and Moscow seek a diplomatic end to the conflict.
Witkoff is expected to propose trilateral talks between the two leaders and President Trump, according to Politico.