24/10/2026
Putin is a killer. Calling him a “humanitarian” is an insult to the people suffering through the war he launched.
Think about what that word is supposed to mean: protecting life, relieving suffering, and treating human dignity as something worth defending. Then think about Ukrainian families mourning children, survivors recovering from injuries, and people whose homes have become places they can never return to.
Those lives do not disappear because a diplomatic meeting produces a handshake and a flattering remark.
Steve Witkoff praised Putin after the release of an American detainee. That release was welcome. It does not cancel the devastation of Russia’s invasion or justify presenting Putin as a champion of humanity.
Negotiators can pursue peace while speaking honestly about the person across the table. They can welcome someone’s freedom without giving the leader responsible for an invasion a moral makeover.
Words matter, especially when an American envoy speaks them.
The families carrying the consequences of this war deserve to hear that their suffering still counts.
Putin deserves accountability. “Humanitarian” is a compliment he has not earned.
