Steve Witkoff called Vladimir Putin a "humanitarian." "Embarrassing and outrageous words"

Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, thanking him for the release of Stephen Hubbard, an American imprisoned in Ukraine. This meeting followed discussions between a U.S. envoy and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the war. Republican Senator Thom Tillis criticized Witkoff's praise of Putin as a humanitarian, questioning the appropriateness of such remarks given Putin's actions. Meanwhile, Putin indicated Russia's readiness to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the U.S. around November 10, focusing on security guarantees. The discussions in Oslo highlighted Ukraine's security needs and NATO relations, with Witkoff sharing insights from those talks with Putin.