Special envoy Steve Witkoff lavished praise on Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, calling him a humanitarian after Russia released a wrongfully detained American. The remarks came as Ukraine and Europe sought greater pressure on Russia to end the war.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly resisted efforts by Congress and foreign allies to squeeze Putin and Russia through stronger sanctions or increased military support for Kyiv. His team instead embarked on another round of diplomacy this week.

Witkoff first met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo before traveling to Russia for his meeting with Putin. Jared Kushner, who was sick with the flu, participated remotely.

Witkoff thanked Putin for releasing an American whom Russia had wrongfully detained in eastern Ukraine during the early days of the war in 2022. He then commended Putin for the gesture.

“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, and I thank you again,” Witkoff said.

The praise stood in stark contrast to Putin’s conduct, including launching a full scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. Putin is also wanted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court, a body Trump and his team have harshly criticized.

Several Republicans delivered sharp rebukes of Witkoff’s choice of words. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina responded directly in a post on X.

“WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian,’” Tillis wrote.

“You should go back to Ukraine and ask the families of the children Putin has kidnapped and murdered whether they agree your friend Putin is a ‘humanitarian.’”

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas responded, “Putin is stone cold killer.” Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, who often sides with Trump, called Witkoff’s comments “ridiculous.”

“Maybe we should ask the hundreds of dead civilians in Bucha what they think of Putin’s humanitarian instincts?” Miller said.

Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a MAGA aligned senator, said Putin is neither a humanitarian nor Washington’s friend.

“Appeasement won’t end this war. Pressure will.”

While Ukraine and Europe want the United States to raise the stakes for Russia, Trump and his team have moved in the opposite direction. Trump said Monday that he would be open to a trilateral summit with Russia and China, adding, “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine.”

On Friday, Trump paused a sweeping new sanctions package targeting Russia that was scheduled to take effect this week. The decision again frustrated lawmakers and allies who had viewed his initial decision to sign the legislation as a possible shift after he agreed to grant Ukraine a license to produce defensive Patriot missiles.

The United States had also briefly stopped providing intelligence to Ukraine, but Zelenskyy said Wednesday morning on Fox News that it had fully resumed. He said an early warning system for ballistic missiles had also resumed after he spoke Tuesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ukraine has separately reported a speed cap disrupting military Starlink and Starshield connections. Kyiv uses those connections for battlefield and civilian communications, as well as to guide drones and operate secure military communications, respectively.

Zelenskyy told Fox News that Rubio promised to work with United States officials to unblock the connections. “God bless, it will be done,” Zelenskyy said.

It remains unclear whether Trump or Elon Musk ultimately ordered the slowdown, with conflicting reports surrounding the disruption. Trump’s rapid shift back toward harsh criticism of Zelenskyy and Ukraine has frustrated Kyiv’s allies as they worry about the country’s preparation for a tough winter.

“It could be that he has access to classified information that we don’t have,” said Leslie Shedd, a former Republican aide on the House Foreign Affairs Committee who is now with the Atlantic Council. “But there’s a piece of me that worries that his world has become so insulated, which happens to presidents, that he’s not getting the right information,” Shedd said about Trump.

Shedd said Trump’s frustration with Ukraine does not change the reality that Russia is not ready to take the steps necessary to end the fighting.

“The president’s actions are predicated on the fact that he wants the war to end. I just don’t think Russia is willing to do that yet.”