Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal Welcomes “Remarkable Shift in the President’s Stance on Ukraine”

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who co-introduced a Russia sanctions bill in the Senate, told TV Abraham on Tuesday, “I welcome the remarkable shift in the President’s stance on Ukraine and support the very robust and impressive military aid that will be provided. Clearly, our Russia sanctions bill is having an effect. It’s a very powerful force within the administration and also in Europe.”

Blumenthal co-introduced the bill earlier this year alongside South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham.

Though Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) reportedly said Monday that the bill is now on the back burner following President Trump’s tariff announcement, Blumenthal said Tuesday, “As welcome as the President’s action is, I think we need to push even harder for our Russia sanctions bill, because it is broader, stronger. The president is bringing down a hammer. We have a sledgehammer.”

On Monday, President Trump threatened to impose secondary sanctions on Russia’s trading partners if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire deal with Ukraine in 50 days. Regarding the Senate sanctions bill, the President said, “They’ve actually crafted a pretty good piece of legislation. It’s probably going to pass very easily, and that includes Democrats, and there are some little tweaks. But I don’t want to say I don’t need it because I don’t want them to waste their time. It could be very useful. We’ll have to see.”

Republican Senator Thom Tillis told TV Abraham that if the Senate sanctions bill did move forward, “I’d vote for it twice if I could.”