US envoy Steve Witkoff hails Vladimir Putin as a 'humanitarian' after the Kremlin agrees to free an American prisoner

The American had been beaten and held behind bars in Russia for four years before Vladimir Putin agreed to release him. Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, still praised the Russian leader, and the remark has caused a backlash. Critics say the praise goes far beyond the courtesy needed to bring Putin to the table for a Ukraine peace deal.

One critic noted Putin signed a law pulling Russia out of a European anti-torture convention.