凯文·克莱默参议员（共和党，北达科他州）严厉批评了特朗普特使史蒂夫·威特科夫将俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京称为“人道主义者”的言论，称这位俄罗斯领导人实际上是“一个邪恶的杀人犯”。克莱默还表示，他宁愿死在俄罗斯的监狱里，也不愿看到有人为了换取自己的获释而称赞普京为“人道主义者”。当被问及威特科夫的言论时，克莱默说：“‘人道主义者’绝对不是我会用来形容弗拉基米尔·普京的词汇；他根本不是什么人道主义者。”
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) slammed Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff’s characterization of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian,” instead calling the Russian leader “an evil killer.”Cramer also declared he would rather die in a Russian prison than have someone praise Putin as a “humanitarian” to earn his release. “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,” Cramer said when asked about Witkoff’s comments, which came in connection with the release of an American who had been held in a Russia prison.
威特科夫的言论是在一名被关押在俄罗斯的美国人获释后发表的。克莱默指出，作为外交官的威特科夫与作为参议员的他职责不同，但他毫不掩饰自己对普京的谴责，称普京“坏到了极点”。他承认：“一名美国人的获释确实是一件大事。”他还表示：“如果我被弗拉基米尔·普京抓捕，我宁愿死在俄罗斯的监狱里，也不愿有人代表我去称赞他为人道主义者。”不过他补充说：“短期内我并不打算去俄罗斯。”
Cramer noted that Witkoff has a “different job” as a diplomat than he does as a senator, but the North Dakota senator minced no words in denouncing Putin, calling him “as bad as it gets.”“Obviously the release of an American is a big deal,” he acknowledged. “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,” he declared. “That said, I don’t plan to go to Russia anytime soon,” he added.
作为特朗普的主要外交谈判代表，威特科夫在俄罗斯领导人宣布释放史蒂芬·哈伯德（一名在俄罗斯被关押了四年的74岁美国人）后，称赞普京为“人道主义者”。美国方面认为哈伯德是被非法拘留的。上周在圣彼得堡的一次会议上，威特科夫对普京说：“您经常称赞我的总统特朗普是人道主义者；您自己也是个人道主义者，我对此表示敬意，并再次感谢您。”
Witkoff, Trump’s top diplomatic negotiator, praised Putin as a “humanitarian” after the Russian leader announced the release of Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old American who had been incarcerated in Russia for the past four years. The United States considered him wrongfully detained. "You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian," Witkoff told Putin last week at a meeting in St. Petersburg after Hubbard’s announced release.
其他共和党人也批评了威特科夫的言论。北卡罗来纳州共和党参议员汤姆·蒂利斯称这种言论“既令人尴尬又极其荒谬”：“史蒂夫，你到底在说什么？去查查‘人道主义者’的定义吧……这种言论真是既尴尬又离谱！”
"You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again." Other Republicans have also criticized Witkoff’s comments. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) called it an “embarrassing and outrageous thing to say.”
“你应该回到乌克兰，去问问那些被普京绑架并杀害的孩子的家属，他们是否认为你的朋友普京是个‘人道主义者’。”蒂利斯在社交媒体平台 X 上写道。
“WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian.’ What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say. 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,’” Tillis posted on X, the social media platform.