Trump’s Russia shift must come with action, says Sen. Blumenthal

President Trump’s change of tone on Russia and its ongoing war against Ukraine is a “remarkable shift” that must be followed by action, says Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Since returning to office, Trump has cozied up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and even gone as far as blaming Ukraine for the conflict between the two countries, which escalated into all-out war with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

But this week, Trump’s frustration with Putin and inability to reach a ceasefire deal appears to have boiled over. The president gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to reach a deal or face steep economic penalties.

The president also outlined a plan to have U.S. manufacturers sell weapons to NATO allies that would then be provided to Ukraine. Last week, Trump announced that the U.S. would resume its own weapon deliveries to Ukraine after a brief pause.

In an interview with Morning Edition, Blumenthal said Trump can put even more pressure on Russia through the Sanctioning Russia Act 2025 — a bill he’s co-sponsoring with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina. The measure would allow Trump to impose 500% tariffs on goods from countries that trade with Russia. The same tariff rate could also be applied to Russian goods still coming into the U.S.

Blumenthal said there may be a personal element and “sense of betrayal” to Trump’s change, but that seeing Russia “continuing to bomb and attack civilians, hospitals … has moved the president to bring down this economic hammer.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Interview highlights

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America

This digital story was edited by Kelley Dickens. The radio version was edited by Alice Woelfle and produced by Milton Guevara and Nia Dumas.