Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he thinks President Trump was manipulated at the Friday Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin doesn’t want a deal. He doesn’t want peace. And the only way to convince him to stop this diplomatic rope-a-dope, playing the President, delaying any kind of ceasefire, is through strength,” Blumenthal said during a Friday appearance on CNN’s “AC360.”
“Providing [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky and Ukraine the kind of military arms they need, the interceptors for their patriot systems and more of them, the missiles they need, the long-range artillery, and scorching sanctions in the Graham-Blumenthal bill now on the floor,” he added, referencing his sanctions bill with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
Trump said Friday’s bilateral meeting was “productive” but said before any agreement is determined, peace points must be sorted out. Zelensky is also slated to visit the White House on Monday.
Still, both Russia and Ukraine have pressed ahead with fatal strikes.
On Thursday, Ukraine launched a drone attack on southern portions of Russia while the Kremlin overtook front lines in the eastern Donetsk region earlier this week.
Blumenthal, who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in May, said his “stomach turned” when Trump referred to Putin as a friend on Friday.
“Nothing came out of this summit. It was a nothing burger. It was a shrug of the shoulders. But I will tell you, Anderson, my stomach turned when I heard the president of the United States characterize Vladimir Putin as his fabulously good friend,” Blumenthal told anchor Anderson Cooper.
“Vladimir Putin is a war criminal. He has directed soldiers to kill women and children and bury them in mass graves. He’s kidnapping children as we speak,’ the Connecticut Democrat said.
Blumenthal introduced a bipartisan measure with Graham to punish Russia’s trading partners, including China, Brazil and India for purchasing oil from Putin.
The president has held off on financial rebukes on Russia, but did increase tariffs on India amid the turmoil in Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, Graham on Friday predicted that the war will end before Christmas if Trump and Putin meet with Zelensky.
“If in fact there is a trilateral meeting between President Trump, President Zelensky and Putin, then I am cautiously optimistic that this war will end well before Christmas,” the South Carolina Republican said.
