President Donald Trump on Wednesday seconded his roving peace envoy’s obsequious description of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” and praised the autocratic leader for having released an American his government had taken hostage after Trump waived bipartisan sanctions meant to hinder Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, Witkoff, a real estate developer with no experience in diplomacy who Trump has nonetheless tasked with international negotiations normally entrusted to the Secretary of State, praised Putin and credited him with saying nice things about Trump during a meeting that was recorded and released on Russian state media.

“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian.…