Downing Street rejects Witkoff's 'humanitarian' label for Putin
Britain publicly rebukes the US envoy hours after a Russian missile and drone assault struck Kyiv.
Downing Street on Thursday rejected US envoy Steve Witkoff's description of Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian," saying Putin had killed thousands of people, including innocent Ukrainians and Russian soldiers sent to die on the battlefield.
"We certainly do not recognize that characterization," a Downing Street spokesperson told reporters. The spokesperson added that Putin was starving children and the elderly and systematically targeting critical national infrastructure.
The rebuke came hours after Witkoff met Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss a possible resumption of trilateral peace talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States. At the start of that meeting, Putin announced the release of 74-year-old American citizen Stephen Hubbard, held in Russia since 2022. Witkoff thanked Putin and called him a humanitarian in remarks captured on video by Russian state media.
The comments drew criticism from US lawmakers as well. Republican Senator Thom Tillis called the remarks embarrassing and outrageous. Senator John Cornyn described Putin as a killer.
Downing Street also quoted Ukraine's foreign minister, who said Russia's overnight assault on Kyiv showed what Putin's so-called humanitarianism really meant.
Sources — how we know this
- PrimaryKyiv Post