The Iowa Republican says it’s time for tougher measures to halt Kremlin aggression after Russia launches aerial assault against Ukrainian cities with civilians.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has called on President Donald Trump to “at least” impose tougher sanctions on Moscow in response to what he said was a wave of weekend attacks against Ukrainian civilians by Russia, whose military targeted Ukrainian cities with a large drone and missile barrage, defying Trump’s repeated calls for a cease-fire.
“I’ve had enuf of Putin killing innocent ppl,” Grassley posted on May 26, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Pres Trump Take action AT LEAST SANCTIONS.”
The Iowa senator’s call came a day after Trump condemned a series of deadly overnight Russian drone and missile strikes against Ukraine—believed to be Moscow’s largest aerial attack since the war began in February 2022—and said he is “absolutely” considering ramping up sanctions against Russia.
Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and is a member of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, has repeatedly urged Trump to hold Putin accountable, accusing the Russian leader of taking advantage of U.S. restraint to make battlefield gains while claiming to be seeking a diplomatic settlement to the long-running war.
In April, Grassley wrote in a post on X: “IVE SEEN ENOUGH KILLING OF INNOCENT UKRAINIAN women + children. President Trump pls put the toughest of sanctions on Putin. U ought to c from clear evidence that he is playing America as a patsy.”
Trump has maintained existing sanctions on Russia and has positioned himself as a mediator in the conflict, pushing both sides to stop fighting and enter into peace talks. But while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has agreed to Trump’s unconditional cease-fire proposal, Putin has refused, expressing willingness to talk but standing by his demands for the so-called root causes of the conflict to be addressed before laying down arms.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said in an April interview that these root causes include what the Kremlin sees as the West’s role in the 2014 overthrow of Ukraine’s pro-Russian government and Kyiv’s push to join NATO, which Russia sees as a hostile military alliance creeping ever closer to Moscow to threaten the country’s long-term security.
Trump, who recently held separate calls with both Putin and Zelenskyy and said that both sides want to keep talking in search of a diplomatic settlement to the conflict, warned in April that the United States might withdraw from its role as peace broker if he did not see more signs of progress from both sides. After a weekend of intensified Russian attacks, the president signaled growing frustration with Moscow—and with Kyiv.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin … but something has happened to him,” Trump said in a May 25 post on Truth Social. “He is needlessly killing a lot of people … Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.”
In a remark that appeared to reflect his view of Putin’s broader intentions, Trump added: “I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with Zelenskyy, saying the Ukrainian leader’s rhetoric was undermining diplomatic progress. “Everything out of his mouth causes problems,” Trump wrote. “I don’t like it, and it better stop.”
Zelenskyy on May 25 condemned the latest Russian attacks, saying that each such “terrorist Russian strike” is grounds for new sanctions against Moscow, urging the United States and European countries to pressure Russia into peace.
“The war can be stopped, but only through the necessary force of pressure on Russia. Putin must be forced to think not about launching missiles, but about ending the war,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 26 that Russia’s latest round of attacks against Ukraine were in retaliation against Kyiv’s alleged strikes against civilian infrastructure in Russia.
“We can see how the Ukrainians attack our social infrastructure facilities, civilian infrastructure,” Peskov told reporters, per state media Tass. “These are retaliatory strikes, strikes on military facilities and military targets,” he continued, accusing the West of fixating on Russian strikes while ignoring attacks by Ukraine.
The Epoch Times has been unable to independently verify Russia’s claims of hits on civilian infrastructure in Russia.
Ukraine had been restricted by its allies to target only military targets in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine using its Western-supplied weapons before Russia’s attacks on its cities.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday confirmed that Ukraine is now free to strike military targets inside Russian territory using the weapons.
“There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine,” Merz said during a forum hosted by public broadcaster WDR on May 26.
The German chancellor added that Kyiv must be able to use its weapons to target Russian military infrastructure when Moscow is attacking civilian targets in Ukraine.
“A country that can only confront an aggressor on its own territory is not defending itself adequately,” Merz said.
