LEILA FADEL, HOST:
For more on what another round of U.S. sanctions on Russia might look like, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut is joining us. He introduced the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham earlier this year, and he is with me in Studio 31 this morning to talk about it. Senator, thank you for being here. Good morning.
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: Good morning. Wonderful to be with you.
FADEL: So, 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?
BLUMENTHAL: There have been no real sanctions in the past to make a difference. And what this bill would do is impose scorching sanctions, not only on Russia, but even more importantly, on China, India, Brazil, all the buyers of Russian oil and gas who are fueling Putin's war economy. And the sanctions would, in fact, be avoided by those countries if they simply stopped fueling the war machine that is bombing relentlessly night after night innocent civilians in Ukraine.
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. Eight hundred drones and 13 missiles in that deadly attack that was just described. One of the deadliest of the war. And that meeting in Anchorage between Putin and Trump 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's been mocked and played by Putin, and I think the president ought to be furious that Putin has stalled and stonewalled in this way. And about this bill, there are 85 co-sponsors, evenly divided - Democrat and Republican - which I think shows the level of support in the Congress for these kinds of sanctions.
FADEL: Would there be knock-on effects, though, by sanctioning India, China, Brazil - trading partners of the U.S.? You know, 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. 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.
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 for enforcement, and the administration has to take it that way.
FADEL: What would enforcement look like?
BLUMENTHAL: 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, 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: That's Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut. Thank you for your time this morning.
BLUMENTHAL: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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