Cornyn and Tillis condemn the envoy’s remarks
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian on Wednesday. Former U.S. officials who monitored the White House’s dealings with the Kremlin saw the comments as part of a Trump administration policy shift toward Moscow, aimed at eliciting Putin’s cooperation through improved economic and political ties with the West.
Thomas Graham, a former senior National Security Council official on Russia issues who is now a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said: “The administration and Witkoff are operating on the assumption that you need some pressure but need to offer incentives as well.” He added: “It is part of a broader strategy. I do think they have thought this through.” Graham also called the idea of mixing carrots with sticks the right approach, adding that “although much depends on the details.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Witkoff’s salute of Putin as a humanitarian, heard around the world, shocked Ukraine and its supporters but did not surprise close watchers of Witkoff’s handling of the Russia file. The outlet said the praise was not a departure for the U.S. special envoy, as President Donald Trump has sought warmer relations with Putin to defuse the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv and develop economic ties with Russia.
Witkoff made the remarks after arriving in Russia to secure Stephen Hubbard’s release. The 74-year-old American citizen was living in eastern Ukraine when Russian forces detained him soon after their 2022 invasion. The U.S. State Department designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained and denied Russian claims that he was a mercenary. Witkoff told Putin: “The president sends his thanks. Our whole nation sends his thanks…. Because of you, he’s going home to his family,” referring to Hubbard.
He then told Putin: “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.”
The Wall Street Journal characterized the remarks as an “over-the-top endorsement” of Putin, a leader “who has long been seen as one of the West’s most persistent adversaries.” Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina quickly condemned Witkoff’s comments.
Cornyn wrote, “No. Putin is a stone cold killer.” He is set to leave the Senate in January after Trump backed his rival, Ken Paxton, for the Republican candidate in Texas. Tillis, a frequent critic of Trump, wrote, “What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say.” He added: “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.’”
Trump has undertaken a series of overtures in recent weeks to improve ties with Putin, striking a deal to buy diesel fuel from Russia and instructing the Treasury Department to waive sanctions on Russian diesel imports until early April. He also held off on implementing fresh sanctions on Russia under legislation recently passed by Congress, which was named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s decision to move away from the longstanding U.S. approach of stepped economic pressure against Russia to end its war in Ukraine had drawn sharp criticism from Kyiv’s supporters in the United States and Europe. The report described Trump as unapologetic. In a social-media post this week, Trump wrote, “My decision on Russia is a very simple one,” adding: “I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent underscored the push toward better ties with Moscow by welcoming Russia’s finance minister to a G-20 summit in North Carolina in late August and early September. The minister’s attendance followed efforts to isolate Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine and drew criticism from European officials at the meeting.
Trump also said he was open to Putin’s proposal for a three-way meeting with the Russian leader and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The session, proposed by Putin, would not include Ukraine and, according to Trump, would cover nuclear arms control.
The Wall Street Journal said Witkoff had long maintained cordial ties with Putin, drawing commentary from critics and supporters. At an April 2025 meeting in St. Petersburg, Witkoff placed his hand over his heart when greeting Putin. Witkoff also spoke warmly of his interactions with Putin during a September trip to Moscow, which he made with fellow envoy Jared Kushner. During Wednesday’s meeting, Witkoff said in comments directly to the Russian leader: “When we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be at the top of it all.”
Following the Witkoff-Putin talks, Russian authorities said Moscow would restart trilateral negotiations with Ukraine and the United States at a technical level. The proposals Witkoff brought from Europeans and Ukrainians, thrashed out in Oslo that week, did not satisfy the Kremlin’s conditions. Kremlin foreign-policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the talks that the proposals “contained little of real value in the context of resolving the Ukraine crisis.”
On June 14, President Donald Trump told Vladimir Putin in a phone call that he was prepared to help end the Ukraine war, according to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, as MSI previously reported. Witkoff’s meeting with Putin and the planned technical talks extend that earlier negotiation effort, while Moscow said the Oslo proposals did not meet Kremlin conditions.