U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal stated that the vote on the sanctions bill should be accelerated, emphasizing that Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not deserve additional time.
Blumenthal, one of the bill’s co-authors, made the comments in an interview with Suspilne, according to Ukrinform.
He said he agreed with the view that there was no reason to grant Putin more time, and stressed the need to move quickly on passing the sanctions legislation. He also noted that while President Donald Trump was taking steps in the right direction, he personally advocated for much stronger sanctions — suggesting they should be applied at 500% rather than 100%.
The senator urged his colleagues to seize the moment and move forward with the vote. According to him, there are currently 85 supporters of the bill in the Senate, and potentially up to 90 if needed.
Blumenthal added that passing the bill was both an achievable and necessary goal. He said the time to act was now — not only through executive measures, but also via legislative action — in order to demonstrate unity between the President and Congress. He stressed that adopting the sanctions bill would send a strong message that the U.S. is committed to honoring its obligations to Ukraine.
He also said that the sanctions legislation could help bring the war to an end, adding that Putin needs to understand this.
On July 14, Trump issued a 50-day ultimatum to Russia aimed at pushing it toward peace. On July 28, he announced that he would shorten the ultimatum to 10-12 days. He also stated that he no longer had any interest in meeting or speaking with Putin, though at the same time, he said Russia must agree to a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
On July 29, Trump reiterated that the ultimatum would now be limited to ten days from that date.
Photo: TaYYaB mIrZa/pexels
Source: US senator on sanctions bill: Putin does not deserve more time
