Kathrine Frich
Democratic lawmakers joined the criticism.
High-stakes diplomacy relies on careful words and measured compliments.
Negotiators often walk a tightrope between polite protocol and harsh reality when trying to broker a deal. This week, a single word spoken across a meeting table triggered immediate outrage in Washington.
A controversial compliment
During talks in St Petersburg to end the four-year war in Ukraine, US special envoy Steve Witkoff praised Russian President Vladimir Putin following the release of Stephen Hubbard, according to the Daily Express.
The envoy, who represents President Donald Trump and had met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo on Tuesday, thanked the Kremlin leader 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, and I thank you again,” Witkoff said, as reported by the Daily Express.
Lawmakers in Washington reacted with fury. Even members of Trump’s own Republican Party condemned the remarks, with Senator John Cornyn stating that Putin is a “stone cold killer” rather than a humanitarian, the Daily Express reported.
On X, Republican Senator Thom Tillis wrote: “WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian’. What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say. You should go back to Ukraine and ask the families of the children Putin has kidnapped and murdered whether they agree your friend Putin is a ‘humanitarian’.”
Deadly strikes continue
Democratic lawmakers joined the criticism. According to the Daily Express, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal said: “Witkoff’s pathetic fawning over this KGB thug betrays American values and security.” Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly also posted: “In what world is Putin a ‘humanitarian?’ He’s a war criminal.”
The warm words in Russia came just hours after a drone strike hit a 24-storey apartment block in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district, sparking a second-floor fire, local officials told the Daily Express.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that at least two people died and two others suffered injuries, while falling debris hit a car in the Desnianskyi district and open ground in the Solomianskyi area.
Just 24 hours earlier, another Russian attack on the capital killed one resident and injured 21 people, according to the Daily Express. Paramedics rushed 12 victims to hospital, where three remained in serious condition.
