Former Vice President Pence urged the Senate on Thursday to pass a major sanctions bill against Russia, arguing that the hefty tariffs, along with continued military aid to Ukraine, provide the best \u201cpathway\u201d to reaching peace in Eastern Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s fully capable of doing the diplomatic thing and being friendly and shaking hands and at the same time saying, here\u2019s the economic consequences that are going to happen, unless you step forward,\u201d Pence said of President Trump\u2002<\/u><\/a>during his appearance on NewsNation\u2019s show \u201cThe Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf we pass those secondary sanctions, Vladimir Putin\u2002<\/u><\/a>will understand that we could literally break their economy and by providing continued military support for Ukraine, that combination of efforts, I think, is the best pathway to peace,\u201d the former vice president told host Blake Burman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The sanctions<\/u><\/a> bill, which has been pushed by Sens. Lindsey Graham\u2002<\/u><\/a>(R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal\u2002<\/u><\/a>(D-Conn.), would impose 500 percent tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas. The measure has over 85 co-sponsors in the upper chamber, but the Senate left for recess before advancing the bill, deferring to Trump to give the green light. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe propose in our bill 500 percent. If it\u2019s 250 percent, I could live with it. Even if it\u2019s 100 percent, possibly. But you ought to impose bone-crushing sanctions that will stop them from fueling Russia\u2019s war machine,\u201d Blumenthal said<\/u><\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune\u2002<\/u><\/a>(R-S.D.) said<\/u><\/a> on Monday that Trump should be \u201ccommended\u201d for his efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and signaled the Senate is \u201cready\u201d to provide the president \u201cany economic leverage needed to keep Russia at the table to negotiate a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump has pushed to end the three-and-a-half-year war, meeting with<\/u><\/a> Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky,<\/u><\/a> along with seven European leaders, on Monday at the White House<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, Russian officials have expressed doubt about the possibilities of a speedy peace deal with Ukraine, including agreeing on security guarantees for Kyiv and scheduling a bilateral meeting<\/u><\/a> between Putin and Zelensky, for which the president has advocated for some time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov\u2002<\/u><\/a>questioned<\/u><\/a> Zelensky\u2019s legitimacy on Thursday and stated the security guarantees under ongoing talks are \u201chopeless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lavrov claimed that Putin is ready to meet with the Ukrainian president with the \u201cunderstanding that all issues that require consideration at the highest level will be well worked out.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump said Thursday that \u201cinteresting times [are] ahead\u201d and slammed his predecessor, former President Biden,<\/u><\/a> over his administration\u2019s policy of barring Ukraine from using U.S. long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. It\u2019s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia,\u201d the president said<\/u><\/a> on Truth Social. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pence, in the interview with NewsNation, argued that one of the reasons why Putin did not invade Ukraine during Trump\u2019s first White House term is that the Trump-Pence administration \u201chad the credible threat of the use of force.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe saw us take action, unleashing our military to take down the ISIS caliphate,\u201d Pence said on Thursday. \u201cSend cruise missiles into Syria to take down Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard leader.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n