At a time when our country is seeing a peak in political partisanship, Congress is actually speaking with a bipartisan voice about punishing Russia with sanctions, as a way to force an end to the war.
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President Trump set and missed multiple deadlines for Russia to end the war in Ukraine.Congress has introduced bipartisan bills to sanction Russia, but Trump has not taken significant action.Trump’s inaction emboldens Putin to continue attacks in Ukraine, escalating the conflict.
Today, Sept. 2, was supposed to be “Russia ends its atrocious and unlawful war in Ukraine” day.
What? Did you forget that President Donald Trump laid down a 50-day marker on July 14, a hard-and-fast deadline for Russia to end the hostilities and remake the peace it destroyed by invading Ukraine?
Maybe it slipped your mind because Trump stripped that deadline from his calendar just two weeks after announcing it, cutting that timeframe down to “10 to 12 days” on July 28 before letting that day pass 10 to 12 days later with no significant outcome.
Here’s what we know about Trump and the war he once claimed he could end in a single day: He has no clue how to resolve this issue and zero fortitude for ever holding Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable.
Here’s something else we’ve learned about Trump – he sets deadlines not as a means to accomplish something in the definable future but as a way to escape from immediate pressure to take action in the moment.
Congress could force Trump’s hand by making life more difficult for Putin and the Russian economy. But that would require Republican leaders in Congress to stand up to Trump for being unwilling to stand up to Putin.
Congress is starting to unite against Russia and Putin
At a time when our country is seeing a peak in political partisanship, Congress is actually speaking with a bipartisan voice about punishing Russia with sanctions, as a way to force the end of the invasion and war.
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, introduced identical bills on April 1, called the “Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025.”
Those bills would impose limits on visas for Putin, Russian military commanders, and any person from other countries who aid Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. They also include asset freezes and tariffs of “at least 500%” on goods and services exported to or imported from Russia.
And they would inflict tariffs of at least 500% on any country that buys “Russian-origin uranium and petroleum products.” That would be a shock to the system for Russia’s already precarious economy.
The House bill has 45 Democratic and 44 Republican cosponsors, while the Senate version has 42 Democratic and 41 Republican cosponsors, plus one independent signed on.
So, where is Trump on this?
President Trump remains all over the place on sanctioning Russia
On brand, Trump is all over the place on sanctioning Russia. Each new deadline he sets comes with the threat of imposing the sanctions Congress is calling for. But nothing happens. It’s all talk.
That’s critical here because both chambers of Congress are, in theory, controlled for now by Republicans. But those politicians have, for now, surrendered their function as a coequal branch of government. They show no signs of taking action, independent of Trump.
Trump’s shifting deadlines are always good news for Russia. He voices the emptiest of threats. He talks tough about sanctions but then shrugs them off and whines about how hard it is to end a war that he repeatedly claimed, while campaigning last year, would be an easy task.
And Putin walks away, a winner each time. Sometimes with a big smile on his face.
On Aug. 26, Trump was still playing the same shiftless game, telling reporters at the White House that he is mulling “very serious” sanctions for Russia.
“We have economic sanctions,” Trump said, according to Reuters. “I’m talking about economic because we’re not going to get into a world war.”
Why would Putin believe that Trump is serious now, or ever? Why would anyone believe it? Trump has always seemed far more likely to turn his back on Ukraine than to turn his fury on Russia.
Putin knows Trump won’t take action as Russia continues its onslaught
That was one of the takeaways from Trump’s Aug. 15 summit in Alaska with Putin.
Trump went in all hell-bent on securing a ceasefire, which Ukraine and that country’s European allies see as a critical first step toward peace. He came out a few hours later mouthing words that should have had a Russian accent, since they were an exact match to Putin’s predetermined rejection of a ceasefire.
Putin doesn’t have to fear Trump on sanctions or anything else. He keeps on killing civilians in Ukraine attacks and now widens his war with intentional, international targets.
His army launched a pair of cruise missiles two weeks ago at an American-owned electronics factory in western Ukraine. A Russian air bombardment last week killed at least 21 people, while damaging the European Union mission and a British Council office.
Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, on Aug. 28, posted this on social media about Russia bombing civilians in Ukraine: “Putin understands only power. The only thing that will bring him to the negotiating table is pressure.” Finland shares a border of more than 800 miles with Russia, so Stubb would know.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted this the same day: “629 missiles and drones in a single night over Ukraine: this is Russia’s idea of peace. Terror and barbarism.”
Over at the White House that day, Trump Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt equated the Russian slaughter of Ukrainian civilians in their homes with recent Ukrainian army strikes on Russia’s oil industry infrastructure. She literally used the phrase “both sides” to put equal blame on the invaded country and the invaders.
Congress can’t wait for Trump to find the courage to hold Putin accountable. That day is not coming. So the Republican leaders in Congress must stand up to Trump to punish Russia.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Translating Politics, here.