GOP hawks urge Trump to force Putin to make a deal: Need a Churchill

WASHINGTON — Republican hawks and former national security officials are urging President Trump to force Russian President Vladimir Putin back to the negotiating table by using sticks instead of carrots.The president’s critics warn that suspending sanctions on Russian diesel exports, alienating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and restricting some military capabilities for Kyiv are tantamount to greenlighting Putin’s war against Ukraine.

“Our President has become Neville Chamberlain,” wrote Rep.Don Bacon (R-Neb.) in a post on X, referring to the former British prime minister who practiced appeasement with Adolf Hitler.“We need a Churchill,” Bacon added, while sharing a post of Trump’s criticisms of Zelensky during the lowest point of their relationship in February 2025.The stepped-up calls come after renewed Ukrainian attacks on refineries ended a brief energy cease-fire and interruptions in US-provided internet services for Ukraine’s military sparked panic on the battlefield.

“We need peace, but it has to be on terms that demonstrate that you can’t have a power like Vladimir Putin rolling through a European nation,” Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of state and CIA director during Trump’s first term, said on Fox Business.“I’ve seen the reports on this Starlink issue.

We should make sure that we are providing all the stuff that the Ukrainians need to put pressure on Russia, so they can continue their long-range strikes,” he added.House and Senate lawmakers have been pressing Trump to get tougher with Russia, rather than Ukraine, and focus on implementing sanctions passed in a bill named for the late Sen.Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as a tactic toward peace.“Putin has repeatedly shown that he responds to pressure, not goodwill,” wrote Rep.

Michael McCaul (R-Texas) in a bipartisan letter to the president Thursday.“With the October 18 deadline approaching, we again urge you to implement this law fully and faithfully.”McCa...