# Trump Envoy Calls Putin 'Humanitarian'

> Trump's envoy praises Putin as humanitarian amid Ukraine war criticism.
- Title: Trump Envoy Calls Putin 'Humanitarian' · Rolling Stone
- Summary: Trump's envoy praises Putin as humanitarian amid Ukraine war criticism. Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff called Putin a humanitarian during talks in St…
- Keywords: steve witkoff, vladimir putin, ukraine war, trump administration, senator thom tillis, senator john cornyn, mark kelly, starlink, starshield, Trump, Envoy, Calls
- Source: Rolling Stone — https://rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/steve-witkoff-putin-humanitarian-1235646046
- Author: Nikki McCann Ramirez
- Published: 2026-10-21T16:41:37+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: steve witkoff, vladimir putin, ukraine war, trump administration, senator thom tillis, senator john cornyn, mark kelly, starlink, starshield
## Trump Envoy Praises Putin
Steve Witkoff called Putin a humanitarian during talks in St. Petersburg on Oct. 21, 2026.

> 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.
## U.S. Senate Backlash
Senator Thom Tillis criticized Witkoff for calling Putin a humanitarian, demanding he look up the term's definition.

> WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of 'humanitarian.' What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say.
## Senator Cornyn's Response
Senator John Cornyn called Putin a 'stone cold killer' in response to Witkoff's comments.

> No. Putin is stone cold killer.
## Mark Kelly's Critique
Senator Mark Kelly questioned whether Putin could be considered a humanitarian given his war crimes.

> He’s assassinated political rivals and journalists, bombed hospitals, and started a war that has intentionally killed tens of thousands of innocent people.
## Witkoff's Optimistic Summary
Witkoff said talks showed 'some degree of momentum' for peace in Ukraine.

> I hope that this today can be another step forward in the peace process and discussing how we resolve the ukrainian conflict.
## Ukraine Not Involved
Ukraine was not part of the talks, with Trump shifting blame for energy crises to Ukraine.

> Trump has attempted to shift blame for the iran-war induced fuel and energy crisis onto ukraine.
## Key takeaway

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff called Putin a humanitarian during talks in St. Petersburg, drawing backlash from U.S. senators over Russia's war crimes.