Republican Senator Thom Tillis has sharply criticized Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, after he described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian.”
“WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian.’ What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say,” Tillis wrote on X on Wednesday.
He urged Witkoff to return to Ukraine and ask the families of children allegedly kidnapped and killed by Putin whether they agree with describing the Russian leader as a humanitarian.
The backlash followed Witkoff’s meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg, where he thanked the Russian president for the release of 74-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had reportedly spent more than four years imprisoned in Russia.
“You talk a lot about my president, President Trump, as a humanitarian. You are also a humanitarian, sir,” Witkoff told Putin.
Tillis’s response highlights the controversy surrounding diplomatic engagement with the Kremlin while Russia’s war against Ukraine continues.
