Former Ambassador Herbst Calls Putin a War Criminal, Dismisses Witkoff's 'Humanitarian' Remark as 'Fatuous'

John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, appeared on CBS News' "The Daily Report" to answer a remark that has stirred argument over how Washington talks about Moscow: Steve Witkoff's description of Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian."

Witkoff made the comment after an American citizen was released from a Russian prison. The source does not name the person freed, say how long they were held, or lay out the terms of the release. What it establishes is the sequence: an American was held in a Russian prison, that person was let go, and Witkoff responded by applying the word "humanitarian" to the Russian president.

Herbst rejected that framing outright. In the segment, he called Putin a war criminal, and he dismissed Witkoff's choice of word as fatuous. The two labels sit at opposite ends. One treats the release as a gesture of goodwill and describes the man behind it in generous terms. The other holds that a single release does not change the character of a leader who, in Herbst's judgment, is responsible for war crimes in Ukraine.

Herbst's background gives the criticism its weight. He served as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, so he speaks as someone who has worked on the relationship between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow from the inside. His objection is aimed at the language an American official used, not at the release itself. The freed American is the human fact at the center of the exchange, and nothing in the source suggests anyone is disputing that the release happened or that it mattered to the person involved.

The segment is an opinion-driven interview, not a report that resolves what Witkoff meant or how he would defend the phrase. The source does not include a response from Witkoff beyond the comment itself, and it does not describe any negotiations that may have led to the release. Those gaps matter, because the dispute turns on tone and characterization, and the surrounding context is not spelled out.

What the exchange does show is a live tension over how U.S. officials should frame diplomacy with Moscow while the war in Ukraine continues. Officials who secure the freedom of a detained citizen may feel that some courtesy toward the other side is part of the work. Critics like Herbst argue that praise of this kind misstates who Putin is. Both positions are now on the public record, tied to the same event.

What to watch next is whether Witkoff clarifies or defends his wording, and whether the release is followed by any further steps between Washington and Moscow. Herbst's comments suggest the argument over vocabulary will not go away quietly while the war goes on.