Zelensky Mocks Witkoff's Description of Putin as Humanitarian After Overnight Missile Strikes on Kyiv
Photo: MS NOWUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday mocked U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff for calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a humanitarian, saying Russia fired 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv in three waves since the previous evening. Zelensky wrote on X that residential buildings, energy facilities, railway station infrastructure, the metro, shopping malls and businesses were hit. Witkoff made the remark after meeting Putin in St. Petersburg, following the release of Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen detained in Russia for allegedly fighting for Ukraine. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Witkoff may have meant it for the particular purpose of Hubbard's release, adding he would not say anything one way or the other. Putin also agreed Wednesday to trilateral talks with the U.S. and Ukraine, and Zelensky said he would accept a deal holding fighting at current front lines.
Left-leaning outlets, an MS NOW opinion piece and a Washington Post newsletter item, centered on Witkoff's comment and its link to Hubbard's release. Right-leaning outlets, the Washington Examiner and Daily Wire, stressed Zelensky's response and Putin's conduct in the war. Alternative / independent outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and right-leaning outlets had.
How the sides differ Left sources focus on Witkoff's remark and Putin's psychology; right sources stress Zelensky's rebuttal and Putin's brutality; alternative sources have not covered it.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
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MS NOW's opinion piece reads Witkoff's remark as touching Putin's view of himself, while the Washington Post's brief ties it to the release of an imprisoned U.S. citizen.
Not covering this story. None of the alternative or independent outlets Crosswire tracks has reported it yet. What one side leaves out can be as telling as what the others report.
The Washington Examiner leads with Zelensky's mockery, the strike details and Trump's comment; the Daily Wire's opinion piece rejects the humanitarian label, citing Putin's brutality and war crimes.