The conservative Wall Street Journal urged Republican senators Monday to stand up to President Donald Trump and force through action against Russia — even if their leader opposes it.
In a column titled “Time for a GOP Senate Revolt on Sanctions Against Putin,” the editorial board of the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper complained that Trump was unlikely to stand up to Putin.
But, the writers added, his party’s senators could do it despite him.
The column was written after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the worst attacks against Ukraine yet — and Trump seemed surprised.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” he said over the weekend.
The editorial board wrote, “Mr. Trump may be the only person in the world still surprised by how Mr. Putin is behaving. The Russian is the same man he’s been for two decades, bent on reconstituting as much of the old Soviet empire as he can get away with. Ukraine is his obsession.
“He’s not going to modify his ambitions merely because Mr. Trump alternates between begging for peace and scolding outbursts on social media.”
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It went on to call Trump naive about Putin, expecting to talk the Russian leader into peace without taking any real action.
But, it said, there are others in the GOP-controlled Senate who aren’t as naive.
“The good news is that the U.S. Senate still has some genuine realists when it comes to Russia,” the board wrote.
“As GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham writes … , he has 82 co-sponsors on a bill that would hit countries that buy Russian oil and gas with tariff sanctions. Energy sales are Mr. Putin’s financial lifeline. President Biden refused to apply these so-called secondary sanctions, and Mr. Trump can’t make up his mind.
“If Mr. Trump signaled that he supports the Graham-Tom Cotton-Richard Blumenthal sanctions bill, it would sail through the Senate. Combined with the promise of more arms to Ukraine when the current supply runs out, these sanctions might change Mr. Putin’s calculations about the price of war.
“But GOP Senators can act whether or not Mr. Trump approves. They can vote on the sanctions bill, and force the President to face the hard reality of Mr. Putin’s ambitions that Mr. Trump would rather avoid.”
