US envoy calls Putin 'humanitarian' after release of detained American

WASHINGTON, US: US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has sparked bipartisan criticism after describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian" during a meeting in St. Petersburg where the release of detained American Stephen Hubbard was announced. The 74-year-old former schoolteacher and US Air Force veteran was freed after being imprisoned in Russia for nearly four years on mercenary charges he consistently denied,.

Witkoff made the remarks while thanking the Russian leader for the goodwill gesture, which US President Donald Trump said he secured through a direct phone call last week,. The diplomatic exchange occurred against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, with the Trump administration recently waiving new congressional sanctions on Moscow and easing restrictions on Russian diesel imports just days prior,. Prior to the St. Petersburg visit, Witkoff held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo, Norway, as the US intensifies its push for a peace agreement,.

Hubbard, a Michigan native, was detained in eastern Ukraine in April 2022 and later sentenced to six years and 10 months in a Russian penal colony following a closed trial,. Following the announcement, he was handed over to Witkoff at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport and flown back to the US, landing at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. President Trump stated that no prisoner swap was required for the release, claiming the US was not required to give anything in return,. Hubbard’s lawyer, Martin De Luca, noted that his client was "overwhelmed with joy" upon learning of his freedom.

Witkoff’s characterization of the Russian president drew immediate rebuke from lawmakers across the political spectrum in Washington. Republican senators, including Thom Tillis, John Cornyn, and Susan Collins, condemned the language, with Collins describing Putin as a "warmonger" and a "thug" rather than a humanitarian. Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike emphasized that Moscow's ongoing military strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure contradict any humanitarian label. Former US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor called the praise "cringeworthy," arguing that Moscow should not receive credit for releasing someone who should not have been jailed. When pressed on the "humanitarian" label, President Trump offered a qualified agreement, stating it applied only to the specific act of releasing Hubbard,.

The incident highlights the growing friction within the US political establishment regarding the administration's shifting diplomatic posture toward Moscow and Kyiv. As Hubbard returns to his family, the broader diplomatic efforts remain focused on negotiating an end to the conflict. Kremlin officials have indicated a willingness to resume trilateral talks involving the US, Russia, and Ukraine in mid-November, though the path to a lasting ceasefire remains heavily contested on the ground.