Downing Street rejects Witkoff's description of Putin as 'humanitarian'

Summary

Downing Street has rejected the description of Vladimir Putin as a 'humanitarian' made by Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's chief negotiator on the Ukraine war. No 10 said the Russian president 'has killed thousands of people, both innocent Ukrainians and his own people'. Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday as he sought a new push to end the invasion of Ukraine, with the US putting pressure on Kyiv to agree to a settlement.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   22 Oct 2026, 16:33 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that Downing Street rejected Witkoff's description of Putin as a 'humanitarian', with No 10 saying the Russian president has killed thousands of people, both innocent Ukrainians and his own people.