Trump Envoy Witkoff Calls Putin a ‘Humanist’ Amid Deadly Russian Attacks on Ukraine

US special envoy Steve Witkoff praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “humanist” on Wednesday, even as Russian forces continued attacks on civilians.

United Nations monitors say that Russian attacks have made recent weeks among the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine in years.

Meeting Putin in St. Petersburg, Witkoff thanked the Russian leader for releasing American teacher Stephen Hubbard, whom Washington considered wrongfully detained, while presenting proposals aimed at securing a ceasefire in Ukraine.

“You often describe President Trump as a humanist. But you are a humanist too, sir. I give you credit, express my respect and thank you again,” Witkoff said.

The praise came against a sharply different assessment from UN human rights monitors, who have documented escalating civilian suffering as Russia intensifies attacks across Ukraine.

The UN verified that at least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured in Ukraine in September. In an update published Oct. 16, its monitoring mission said Russian attacks had continued to cause mass casualties into October, alongside renewed strikes on electricity and heating infrastructure as winter approaches.

Witkoff told Putin he had brought documents outlining possible approaches to a peace settlement and asked him to consider resuming negotiations involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia. He suggested that representatives of technical working groups could participate.

Other Topics of Interest

Rubio: Musk Sets Ukraine’s Starlink Access, Not White House

Rubio’s remarks follow a WSJ report that Musk ordered restrictions which disrupted Ukrainian drones. Accounts of Trump’s involvement differ.

The envoy said there was a basis for moving toward a ceasefire and that he would brief Putin on discussions held in Oslo. He also asked to bring Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a participant in the diplomatic effort, into the meeting by telephone.

Witkoff urged Putin to discuss the next steps toward three-way negotiations even if no decision could be reached during Wednesday’s meeting.

Witkoff arrived in Russia from Norway, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the meeting as positive, saying Witkoff would relay its outcomes to the Russian side.

Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine and the US had agreed on a series of proposals to end the war during their meeting in Norway, including security guarantees for Kyiv.

He also confirmed that intelligence sharing with the US had resumed and said progress on Patriot interceptors and Starlink restrictions could come within 48 hours.

Notably, hours after Zelensky met Witkoff in Oslo, US President Donald Trump said Ukraine “has to want to make a deal” to end Russia’s war, claiming Washington and Europe had spent “a fortune” on Kyiv and that Europe was tired of the conflict.

Trump also said the US had received “nothing back other than high diesel,” apparently defending his recent moves to ease pressure on Moscow.

Kyiv has repeatedly rejected claims that it is obstructing peace efforts, saying it has supported ceasefire proposals and initiatives from international partners.

Zelensky has offered a full ceasefire and proposed direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while 51 countries signed a joint statement at the UN General Assembly in September urging Moscow to accept an immediate truce.

Russia has rejected such proposals, with Lavrov saying the Kremlin would not pause its war even during potential negotiations.

Tensions between Kyiv and Washington escalated on Oct. 9, when Trump announced a diesel deal with Putin as a Ukrainian delegation was holding peace talks with US officials in Miami.

Zelensky later said Ukrainian officials had been warned that Washington could restrict intelligence sharing if Kyiv continued striking Russian oil facilities.

The Trump administration also reportedly threatened to suspend the PURL mechanism, which enables European countries to purchase US weapons for Ukraine, including Patriot air defense interceptors.

Trump subsequently called for Ukraine to elect a new president, prompting Zelensky to insist that his removal was a decision for Ukrainians alone.

Kyiv proposed a 60-day ceasefire to allow elections, but Moscow rejected the proposal, offering only a one-day truce. Trump then announced an immediate energy ceasefire on Oct. 11, claiming both sides had agreed to it.

Ukraine signaled its willingness to observe the energy truce and refrained from striking Russian energy facilities, but Moscow continued attacking targets across Ukraine.

Meanwhile, restrictions on Starlink terminals and a week-long suspension of US intelligence sharing reportedly left Kyiv without allied warnings of Russian ballistic missile attacks and vulnerable to attacks by jet-powered drones.