Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer sent a blistering message directed at President Donald Trump's approach to Russia after his special envoy praised Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian, saying he would choose death over hearing such praise from someone acting on his behalf.
“All I can say is, if I'm ever captured by Vladimir Putin, I'd rather die in a prison in Russia than have somebody on my behalf refer to Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian,” the North Dakota Republican said in a statement.
Cramer's remarks appear to be an indirect message to Trump, as Steve Witkoff, Trump's longtime friend and special envoy, represented the president when he praised Putin, and Trump later defended his remarks.
The moment that led to bipartisan backlash was when Witkoff went to Russia to secure the release of American Stephen Hubbard, 74, who had been held in prison for more than four years.
Witkoff thanked the Russian leader for freeing Hubbard and called him a humanitarian, even as Russia continued to wage war against Ukraine, targeting civilian infrastructure.
“You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that,” Witkoff told Putin.
Trump later defended the compliment when reporters questioned him about Witkoff’s highly criticized description of the Russian leader.
“I guess you could say for that particular purpose,” Trump said, referring to Putin's decision to release Hubbard, who the US says was held illegally.
Cramer also said of Witkoff’s comments, “Humanitarian wouldn’t be one of the first ten million words I’d think of to describe Vladimir Putin. He is anything but a humanitarian.”
The GOP senator also noted Witkoff has a “different job” as a diplomat than he does, seemingly noticing the need for diplomacy, and added that Putin is “as bad as it gets.”
He, however, praised the release of the American prisoner as a “big deal.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., slammed Witkoff's choice of words, saying: “What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say,” Tillis wrote on social media.
The controversy comes as Trump’s relationship with Russia has come under scrutiny with the Russian diesel deal and allegations that the US government slowed Starlink, leaving Ukraine’s airspace vulnerable to attacks.
Trump claims his administration had not given anything in exchange for Hubbard's release and suggested that the sanctions could have derailed the negotiations.
The president has blamed Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the ongoing war, claiming that he refuses to make a deal to end the bloodshed.
