President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff sparked outrage on Saturday after telling Russian leader Vladimir Putin that their meeting would rank among his fondest memories, with critics accusing him of "sucking up" to the Russian president.

Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Saturday to meet with Putin and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The trip is part of the Trump administration's broader push to broker a settlement to the conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has cost tens of thousands of lives. At one point during the meeting, Witkoff suggested to Putin that the encounter would become a special memory later in life.

"President Putin, thank you so much for having us. We were sitting outside just now," Witkoff said, referring to himself, Kushner, and their Russian counterparts. "We were talking about, when we retire, we'll have all these incredible stories and memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all."

The remarks prompted widespread condemnation on X, where commentators pointed to Putin's record as Russian leader and the ongoing war in Ukraine. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 over the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children, allegations Moscow denies, and Russian strikes have repeatedly hit Ukrainian civilian infrastructure during the war.

"This to a man launching ballistic missiles at maternity hospitals and stealing Ukrainian children en masse," wrote former National Security Council spokesman and political podcaster Tommy Vietor. "Humiliating bootlicking."

"I never thought I'd see the day where America acted so weak," reacted Ukraine-based journalist Jay Beecher. "But here they are, sucking up to a mass-murdering Russian dictator who happens to also be helping Iran to kill American troops."

"Steve Witkoff addresses his true love, the war criminal," summed up economist Michael MacKay.

Economist Lars Christensen called Witkoff's comments a "disgrace."

Military tech blogger Jim Stewartson, a frequent critic of FBI Director Kash Patel, called the meeting between Witkoff, Kushner, and Putin "a combination of treason, conflict of interest, and sheer corruption never seen at this level of geopolitics" in his reaction to the comments.

"It'll be an incredible memory for us all," joked British war studies lecturer Ruth Deyermond. "The time the US president sent two of his closest, if least competent, aides to flatter the autocrat responsible for an unprovoked war against a neighbour and the murder of many thousands of its citizens. In front of the world's cameras."

The criticism of Witkoff comes as the Trump administration's peace efforts have drawn scrutiny from Ukraine's supporters, who have questioned the terms under discussion and Washington's approach toward Moscow. How the talks in Moscow progress, and whether any agreement addresses the issues cited by critics such as the deported children, remains to be seen.