Updated September 10, 2025 at 11:08 AM EDT
Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. is calling for tougher sanctions on Russia and countries he says are "fueling Putin's war economy" after Moscow launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The Sept. 7 strikes killed two people, including a baby, and damaged a Ukrainian government building in Kyiv for the first time during the war.
Blumenthal told Morning Edition that now is the time to act, because in his words, Putin is a "thug" who only understands force, arguing that "there have been no real sanctions in the past to make a difference."
The Democrat introduced the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on April 1. The bill would authorize sanctions on countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas, specifically China, India and Brazil.
After Russia's blistering attack on Ukraine Sunday, Trump said he was "not happy" about "the whole situation" and indicated he was prepared to ramp up sanctions against Moscow.
Russia has responded to Trump's warnings not with restraint, but with increasing drone and missile attacks, according to NPR's Greg Myre. Myre reports Russia's economy remains relatively weak, but revenue from oil and gas sales has helped sustain it during the war. Additional sanctions would likely put more strain on the economy, though it's unclear how much impact they would ultimately have, Myre adds.
In an interview with NPR's Leila Fadel, Senator Blumenthal argues why he believes past sanctions have failed, what new pressure this bill would bring and why targeting Russia's oil customers is essential to stopping Putin's war.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
Leila Fadel: Senator, what would this bill do if passed that's different than the sanctions we've seen from the U.S. in the past that really haven't made a huge difference when it comes to this war?
Senator Richard Blumenthal: Let's be very clear about what's happening. The Russians are not targeting military installations. They are bombing hospitals, homes, schools, the government center, 800 drones and 13 missiles in that deadly attack that was just described, one of the deadliest of the war, and that meeting between Putin and Trump, I think, was a travesty. It just drove home the need to stop warning and thinking about sanctions, but actually acting because Putin is a thug. He understands force and only force, military or economic.
Fadel: Do you know if the President would be supportive of this bill if it passed?
Blumenthal: I believe the President should be supportive. The time has come for action. The President has been mocked and played by Putin, and I think the President ought to be furious that Putin has stalled and stonewalled in this way.
Fadel: Would there be knock-on effects, though, by sanctioning India, China, Brazil, trading partners of the U.S.? It also proposes 500% tariffs on the European Union, would that unintentionally then harm the U.S.?
Blumenthal: There would be no harm to the United States, either in oil prices or any other way, because these countries could avoid them simply by doing the right thing. They know that they are making blood money. India is reselling this oil at higher prices and making profits, so there would be no economic or political effects. But the important point here is that Ukraine, really, at the end of the day, needs security guarantees. It needs more military aid as well as these economic sanctions so it can be the kind of iron porcupine that Russia could never swallow. It needs security guarantees from the United States and European allies, because our security interests, our national defense, are involved here.
Fadel: Well, let me ask you about that. I mean, you said there weren't really sanctions before, but there have been 18 rounds of sanctions from the EU. There have been asset freezes, sanctions on individuals from the U.S., up until January, when the Biden administration left, and the Government Accountability Office released a report that concluded Russia has found ways to circumvent U.S. sanctions generally. Are you concerned that if the bill passes and these new sanctions go into place, that Russia could just do the same thing and continue its behavior?
Blumenthal: Really important point, there needs to be tough enforcement, really stringent application and implementation. For example, our bill covers the Russian shadow fleet that is ferrying this oil and gas to their customers, like the Chinese and Indians and Brazilians. The bill has to provide, and does provide, for enforcement, and the administration has to take it that way. What would enforcement look like? Enforcement would look like using the world's financial system more effectively. You've mentioned sanctions. There have been efforts to sanction but under both administrations, I think there have been, in effect, failures to use all of the devices and tools that are available to achieve enforcement. It's not just about words on paper legislation. It's about effective implementation. And you know, we need to use those seized Russian assets, $300 billion worth, to help Ukraine recover, but also to arm Ukraine. So again, it has the security guarantee; those assets have not been used as they could be.
Fadel: We had a story on this program just last month that reported the U.S.'s second largest supplier of fertilizer was Russia in 2022, the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. purchased nearly $2 billion worth of fertilizer from Russia. If the U.S. wants to truly cripple Russia's economy, should the U.S. be continuing to spend billions of dollars on things like fertilizer from Russia?
Blumenthal: We need to avoid dependence on Russia for fertilizer or any other commodity if that's going to be a means for Russia to exert pressure on us. The President has been stalled and stonewalled and mocked by Putin, and now is the time for action. I'm hoping that even as early as this week, he may take additional action on his own, but this bill says to the world, we are united. Congress is behind sanctions that the President may impose. It is supportive, and it provides a legally bulletproof way to impose those sanctions, targeted, and I emphasize targeted, on countries that fuel Russia's war machine by buying its oil and gas.
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