A Russian drone slammed into a 24-storey Kyiv apartment block, and hours later Trump’s envoy was in St Petersburg telling Putin ‘I commend you’

A Russian drone attack slammed into a 24-story apartment building in Kyiv, killing at least two people, just hours before Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, publicly praised Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” during talks in St. Petersburg. As first highlighted by Express, the comments sparked outrage from politicians back in the US.

Witkoff, who is working on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, was in St. Petersburg for what were described as “crunch talks” with Putin. During the discussions, he told the Russian President, “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.” He was reportedly thanking Putin for his “humanitarian work” in the middle of a four-year war that Moscow started.

The trip was part of ongoing US efforts to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. Witkoff also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo on Tuesday.

Lawmakers from both parties were quick to reject the ‘humanitarian’ label

The praise sparked fury from politicians across the spectrum, including members of Trump’s own Republican Party. Senator Thom Tillis wrote on X, “WT*, Steve? Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian’. What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say.”

Tillis added that Witkoff 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’.” Fellow Republican Senator John Cornyn said Putin was not a humanitarian but a “stone cold killer.”

Democrats were equally critical. Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic senator from Connecticut, said, “Witkoff’s pathetic fawning over this KGB thug betrays American values and security.” Mark Kelly, a Democratic senator from Arizona, asked, “In what world is Putin a ‘humanitarian?’ He’s a war criminal.” The Ukraine talks Witkoff is part of have also reportedly grown to include a multibillion-dollar Lukoil oil deal.

Hours before Witkoff’s comments, a Russian drone smashed into a 24-story residential building in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district, causing a fire to break out on the second floor. Local authorities confirmed that at least two people were killed and two others were injured in the attack.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the death toll. He also said drone debris crashed onto a car in the Desnianskyi district, while other debris landed in an open area in the Solomianskyi district.

The latest strikes followed another Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital just 24 hours earlier, which killed one person and injured 21 others. Twelve of those injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, and three of them were in serious condition.