‘Russia Is Not Winning’– Key US Senator Urges ‘Maximum Pressure’ on Putin
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Thursday urged for what she described as “maximum pressure” against Russia over Ukraine, saying that she hopes President Donald Trump “realizes that giving into [Vladimir] Putin is not the right path forward.”
“The Ukrainian people are not giving in,” Shaheen said addressing a Brookings Institution webinar, citing the recent Ukrainian strike deep inside Russia which took out a third of the Russian strategic nuclear bomber fleet.
“It wasn’t just a military blow; it was a blow to [Russian president Vladimir] Putin’s propaganda that Russia has been winning,” the Senator emphasized.
She then added: “Let’s be clear: Russia is not winning. This is an important point not only to our allies but also to our adversaries. China, Iran, North Korea – they’re all watching what’s happening in Ukraine.”
Shaheen, a longtime supporter of Ukraine, has consistently pushed for increased military aid for Ukraine, and supported sanctions against Russia.
“We need to maximize pressure on Putin, now,” she said Thursday. “That means new sanctions, like those in the Graham-Blumenthal legislation. It’s one of the best tools we have to finally bring Putin to the negotiating table,” she added.
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have recently introduced the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, which calls for “bone-crushing” sanctions to cripple the Russian war machine.
Supporters of the bill, which now has eighty three cosponsors – with Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) being the latest supporter – believe that Putin lies to Trump so as to dodge new sanctions and keep his brutal war going.
For Shaheen, pressure shouldn’t just come from new measures, “it also means enforcing the sanctions already in place.”
“Which is why clear, consistent messaging from the State and Treasury Departments and the White House is absolutely critical. Of course, sanctions are not the only way to maintain Ukrainian independence – NATO membership is one, continued U.S. assistance to Kyiv is another,” she explained.
She concluded: “People ask, ‘how long should the U.S. support Ukraine?’ My answer is simple: as long as Russia is abducting Ukrainian children, as long as they’re bombing civilians, Congress should continue passing supplemental aid.“
Source: Alex Raufoglu