Trump's envoy Witkoff calls Putin a "humanitarian" during meeting in Russia

US special envoy Steve Witkoff called Russian ruler Vladimir Putin a "humanitarian" during a meeting in St Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss a settlement to the war in Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda, citing footage of the meeting broadcast by Russian media

Details: The talks in Russia began with the release of American teacher Stephen Hubbard, who had been imprisoned in Russia for more than four years. Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan, had been designated by the US State Department as wrongfully detained.

"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," Witkoff told Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed against Ukraine.

Putin, in turn, thanked Trump "for his attention to the issue of resolving the crisis in Ukraine". He said Trump is paying particular attention to the matter primarily for humanitarian reasons.

Background:

• The European Commission has said it expects the US delegation to brief it on the outcome of Witkoff's meeting with Putin in St Petersburg.
• On 20 October, talks took place in Oslo between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
• Stubb said the talks had covered security, energy and economic issues in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine.
• Axios reported that Kushner, who joined the talks remotely, had demanded that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries.

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