Vladimir Putin greets US special envoy Steve Witkoff during their meeting in Saint Petersburg.Downing Street has hit out at a top ally of Donald Trump after he described Vladimir Putin as “a humanitarian”.
Steve Witkoff made the remark in face-to-face talks with the Russian president in St Petersburg on Wednesday.
He said: “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.”
His comment appeared to refer to Russia’s decision to release Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American citizen who was arrested in 2022 for allegedly fighting for Ukraine.
But within hours, a wave of Russian missiles and attack drones were launched at Kyiv, killing at least one person and injuring another 22, including four children.
Asked for the UK government’s reaction to Witkoff’s comment, a spokeswoman for Andy Burnham said: “We don’t recognise that characterisation.
“President Putin has killed thousands of people, both innocent Ukrainians and his own Russian people who he has sent to their deaths on the front line.
“He’s starving children and the elderly of heat and warmth and systematically targeting critical national infrastructure.
“Ukraine’s foreign minister summed it up well this morning: ‘This night, the residents of Kyiv heard what Russian ‘humanitarianism’ really sounds like.’”
Earlier, Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander had made it clear the government did not go along with Witkoff’s description of Putin.
Asked on LBC if the UK agreed with the US envoy, he said: “No, we don’t.
“We see him as somebody who illegally invaded Ukraine at the start of this conflict, who has been responsible for conduct by his government that included attempted assassinations on UK soil.
“So we simply do not recognise the description of Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian.
“In contrast, we are crystal clear that we stand foursquare behind Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine in their battle for freedom.”
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