US Envoy Suddenly Praises Putin, Here's Why

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday (12/8) expressed his gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the release of American citizen Robert Gilman, who had been detained in Russia, and for Putin’s personal involvement in the matter. “We thank President Putin for granting Robert Gilman a pardon on humanitarian grounds and for his personal engagement during this process,” Witkoff wrote on platform X. Witkoff posted a photo with Gilman taken on a plane and welcomed his return. He also conveyed his thanks to US President Donald Trump. Earlier this week, Trump had also thanked Russia for its cooperation with Witkoff in securing Gilman’s release. In October 2024, a court in the Russian city of Voronezh sentenced Gilman to seven years and one month in prison for repeatedly using violence against Russian law enforcement officers. In April 2025, his sentence was increased to eight years and one month in a maximum-security penal colony. Another case involved two incidents where Gilman used violence against a Federal Penitentiary Service officer, resulting in his sentence being extended to ten years and one month. Gilman, who is from Massachusetts, was arrested in 2022 for kicking a police officer while on a train. He had also been transferred from prison to a civilian hospital in Russia due to a mental condition resembling catatonia.