Trump's envoy calls Putin a 'humanitarian' during St. Petersburg talks
US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "humanitarian" during talks in St. Petersburg on October 21, as Russian forces continued their attacks on Ukraine.
"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," Witkoff said in a video circulated by Russian state media.
The meeting lasted nearly three hours, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Witkoff briefed Putin on negotiations held in Oslo the previous day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders. According to the Russian account, Putin expressed willingness to resume trilateral negotiations in mid-November, with postwar security arrangements among the proposed topics.
Witkoff's remarks came as Russia continued striking Ukrainian cities. Local authorities reported three people killed in overnight attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv, according to Politico.
The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 over the alleged unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.
The St. Petersburg meeting followed talks in Oslo on October 20 involving Zelenskyy, Witkoff, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.