Wes Streeting says there is 'no doubt' Vladimir Putin is a 'cold-blooded killer' in veiled swipe at Steve Witkoff

Wes Streeting has said there is "no doubt" Vladimir Putin is a "cold-blooded killer" in a veiled swipe at US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Defence Secretary warned that there was a "clear line between appeasement and a peace process" after Mr Witkoff, the chief negotiator to stop Russia's invasion of Ukraine, said Mr Putin was a "humanitarian".

Mr Witkoff poured the praise on the Russian President after Moscow freed retired US schoolteacher Stephen Hubbard, who had been held in custody since 2022.

"The President sends his thanks, our whole nation sends their thanks, because of Stephen Hubbard...Because of you he's going home to his family," the US envoy told Mr Putin in a meeting shown on Russian TV.

But Downing Street rejected the description of the Russian leader as a "humanitarian", adding that it did "not recognise that characterisation".

Mr Streeting told the BBC he could understand that in the "path of diplomacy" an official may feel the "need to be gracious to the host sitting in front of you".

He said: "But I've got to say there is a very clear line between appeasement and a peace process, we should be in no doubt that Vladimir Putin is a cold-blooded killer."

Mr Streeting added: "We see that with the civilian casualties in Ukraine."

He continued: "We see it with the way that his regime is backing state-sponsored terrorism across Europe, and we also see that reflected in the high number of Russian casualties this year."

The Defence Secretary slammed the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a "totally unnecessary war" and not a "humanitarian initiative" as he welcomed US leadership over the peace process.

Mr Witkoff returned to Washington after also meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He has now said a trilateral meeting will be held by early November.

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Russia has accepted the deal, US officials have claimed, while Mr Zelensky said the talks should be held as soon as possible.

Mr Streeting said there must be a "negotiated peace that involves Ukraine and is acceptable to Ukraine".

He added: "They have suffered so much, a war that they didn't start, didn't provoke, didn't ask for, and want to see an end to. We can only achieve that through diplomacy.

"But what we will not do is deliver lasting peace through appeasement, and that's the cautionary note I've sent to all of our allies in remarks I've made in recent weeks."

As Mr Witkoff returned home, Moscow launched 21 ballistic missiles at Kyiv in three waves of attacks, Mr Zelensky said on Thursday.

Earlier, No10 suggested the Government was wholly at odds with Mr Witkoff's description of Mr Putin.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "We certainly do not recognise that characterisation, and President Putin has killed thousands of people, both innocent Ukrainians and his own Russian people, who he has sent to their deaths on the frontline.

"He is starving children and the elderly of the heat and warmth, and systematically targeting critical national infrastructure.

"Ukraine's foreign minister summed it up well this morning when he said: 'This night, the residents of Kyiv heard what Russian humanitarianism really sounds like'."

Asked whether the Government would make the same argument directly to the US administration, the spokeswoman added: "We engage regularly at a range of levels with a range of partners on Ukraine, and I'm sure we will continue to do so."