House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said the possibility of placing new sanctions on Russia’s energy is necessary for the United States to “act tough” against “bully” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently introduced legislation proposing new sanctions on Russia in a bid to get the country to end its war with Ukraine. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he hopes to bring this bill for a floor vote before the Senate’s recess in August.
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Johnson expressed enthusiasm for such legislation, saying there is a “big appetite” for it in the House.
“I think tough sanctions are called for. I mean, Vladimir Putin has shown an unwillingness to work with President Trump to bring an end to this unjust war on Ukraine, and we’ve got to talk tough and got to act tough. That’s what he responds to,” Johnson said on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.
“He’s a bully, and if you don’t treat him as such, then he’ll continue to run his rampage through Ukraine, and we’ve got to bring an end to that. We need peace in this conflict. It’s long overdue,” Johnson said.
Congress got the One Big Beautiful Bill Act over to President Donald Trump’s desk for signing on the Fourth of July, with Johnson highlighting border security and national defense as the biggest investments within the bill. He said it will help “ensure the policy of peace through strength.”
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Among its investments in national security is “the golden dome,” which both Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping called “deeply destabilizing.”
Russia attacked Ukraine with hundreds of missiles and drones over the weekend, killing two people and wounding 26 others in the Bukovina area. Another drone attack occurred in Ukraine’s western Lviv region, injuring 12 people.