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Vance Defends Trump Envoy's Praise of Putin as 'Humanitarian'
Confirmed
In Short: Vice President JD Vance defended U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'humanitarian' after Putin released an American prisoner.
Vice President JD Vance defended U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'humanitarian' after Putin released an American prisoner, Stephen Hubbard, who had been wrongfully detained for four years.
Witkoff made the comments during a meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg, where he thanked the Russian leader for releasing Hubbard, a retired American teacher who had been jailed in Russia since 2022.
Vance said on Wednesday, 'I agree with Steve Witkoff saying something nice to a person who just released an American hostage. I care much less about what Steve said than about the fact that he is bringing an American hostage home to his family.'
Despite the praise, Witkoff's comments sparked immediate backlash from Republicans who criticized the Trump administration's handling of Russia and Ukraine.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas responded to a video of Witkoff's comments, saying, '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.' No. Putin is a stone cold killer.'
Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor, who served during the Bush and Obama administrations, said in an interview with CBS News that it's 'absolutely a good thing' Hubbard is coming home, 'but he should never have been there in the first place. We should not give the Russians any credit for releasing someone who should not have been in jail.'
Witkoff's meeting with Putin was part of a diplomatic effort to resume trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. Putin ordered Hubbard's release during their meeting, adding that Hubbard had already been taken to the airport.
The warmth of Witkoff’s remarks stood in stark contrast to the increasingly hostile rhetoric directed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by senior U.S. officials, most notably Trump, who has called for Zelenskyy to resign and portrayed him as the main obstacle to peace.
In September alone, Putin’s offensive killed 328 civilians as Russia bombarded Ukraine’s major cities and energy infrastructure, the UN reported.
Witkoff told Putin during a televised portion of their meeting, 'We’ve brought some papers. It’s really some ideas, some sort of peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, and you’ll read that at your leisure.'
What this adds
Witkoff's praise of Putin as a 'humanitarian' came after Hubbard 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.
Background
Vice President JD Vance defended the Trump administration's handling of the economy and Iran strategy during a CBS News town hall, addressing voter concerns about high gas prices and economic challenges.
What's confirmed
- Mr. Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and on Tuesday, said "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much."
- "was not required to give anything in return (for Hubbard's release) — an unprecedented situation in Russia."
- “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.
What's still developing
- "And to call Putin a humanitarian, that's cringeworthy."
- "You, too, are a humanitarian, sir, and I commend you for that. I offer you my respect and thank you once again," he told the Russian leader wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Ukraine.
- Several Republicans lashed out at Witkoff’s use of the term.
- Future discussions will center on “building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends,” Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters.
- Witkoff and Putin met with Ushakov and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev also at the table.
- Witkoff travelled to Russia from Oslo, where he had met Zelenskyy and European leaders a day earlier in an attempt to inject momentum into stalled negotiations, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine now in its fifth year.
- Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Washington had resumed providing advance warnings of Russian missile attacks after his meeting with Witkoff in Oslo.