Zelensky mocks Steve Witkoff’s comment calling Putin a ‘humanitarian’

On October 22, 2026, after U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg and praised him as a "humanitarian," Russia launched missile strikes on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, wounding 15 people and damaging infrastructure. Ukrainian forces responded by sending hundreds of drones towards Moscow overnight. The Kremlin had previously stated it was willing to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the U.S., though dismissed new peace proposals as lacking substance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mocked Witkoff's praise, calling Russian attacks "humanitarian" and noting that three waves of ballistic missiles hit Kyiv since the evening before, damaging residential buildings, energy facilities, and metro infrastructure. Strikes also occurred in other regions like Kharkiv and Sumy, killing at least two people and wounding 34 more. Despite initial optimism from Trump about progress towards ending the war, Zelenskyy claimed Russia's position had not changed, as evidenced by the renewed attacks shortly after agreeing to new peace talks.