US particular envoy Steve Witkoff complimented Russian dictator Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” during their assembly in St. Petersburg — as President Trump desperately tries to get Russia back to the negotiating desk to finish the Ukraine conflict.

“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 Wednesday in a Russian state media video clip shared on social media.

The excessive reward for Putin came after Stephen Hubbard, a retired American instructor, was freed from a Russian jail where he had been imprisoned for over 4 years on costs he was combating as a mercenary for Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s particular envoy Steve Witkoff, left, gestures during his assembly with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Konstantin Palace in Strelnya, outside St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. Gavriil Grigorov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin via AP

However, it also came after a Russian drone strike at a park killed beloved Ukrainian instructor Inna Mariukhna and her 1-year-old child Angelina on Monday —  with graphic photographs displaying the child lifeless in her stroller.

Four others were killed in the strike in Kharkiv, in jap Ukraine.

In September alone, Putin’s offensive killed 328 civilians as Russia bombarded Ukraine’s main cities and power infrastructure, the UN reported.

Rescuers evacuate an injured civilian after a residential constructing was hit following a Russian air attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. AP Photo/Andrii Marienko

Witkoff visited Putin to talk about commerce and how to finish the grueling conflict, now in its fifth 12 months since Russia’s large invasion into Ukraine in Feb. 2022.

Earlier Wednesday, Witkoff announced that Hubbard, 74, was launched from captivity and he would be accompanying him house after his assembly with Putin.

On Tuesday, Witkoff was in Oslo assembly with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky — who since revealed he is open to halting the entrance traces as half of a ceasefire while Kyiv and Moscow search a diplomatic finish to the battle.

Witkoff is expected to suggest trilateral talks between the two leaders and President Trump, according to Politico.