Republicans’ rhetoric on Russia sanctions is shifting, says political analyst

 Co-founder of the National Platform for Resilience and Cohesion, Oleh Saakyan, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“I don’t trust Trump, but I do trust the trends I’m seeing in American society — in other words, I trust the U.S. Because Trump isn’t making these statements randomly. We see that his voters are tired of him being president of the world’s largest and most powerful country while trying to please Putin. And in this stance, it’s not just Trump who’s involved, but also American society and the voters. After all, they voted for Trump, not Putin. A significant portion of Trump’s supporters sympathize with Ukraine,” Saakyan emphasized.

According to the political analyst, recent polling shows that of Trump’s 60% voter base, 59% believe he’s not tough enough on Putin.

“Republican rhetoric is shifting — more and more voices are calling for adopting and strengthening sanctions against Russia. Multiple indicators suggest that the ice is breaking in American society. The string of moves Trump made toward Putin caused frustration. Now that ‘spring’ can no longer be compressed — it’s starting to snap back,” Saakyan noted. He also added that for Trump, this is now a question of his political future and approval ratings.

“He either has to step back and let Congress do what Congress and the Senate are already ready to do, or lead the process himself. Early in his presidency, Trump already burned through his ratings. So I’m confident that by June we’ll see a strong U.S. response to Russia, both in terms of increased pressure and growing resolve from Europe,” Saakyan said.

• Frustrated with Russian leader Vladimir Putin's actions, U.S. President Donald Trump may decide to impose new sanctions on Russia, media reports say.