Germany Escalates Its Involvement In Ukraine And How Congress Must Step Up To Secure The Same From The Trump Admin.
Trump Needs To Make A Decision On Russia - Further Delays & Inaction Will Crush His Credibility.
We are now quickly approaching a crunch time where Donald Trump will finally have to move towards action rather than continue with perpetual rhetoric.
This week, Trump called Putin “crazy” for launching missile strikes into Kyiv during ongoing negotiations.
He claimed that he is “very disappointed” and that he no longer recognized Putin, saying he used to have good relations with him, but that now “he’s crazy.”
This distancing rhetoric comes just as Europe moves forward with real measures.
Germany, in particular, has stepped up.
Chancellor Merz welcomed President Zelensky in Kyiv and announced the lifting of all restrictions on the targeting of long-range strike capabilities.
Germany and Ukraine will now jointly produce long-range missile systems on Ukrainian territory, allowing Ukraine to target deep logistical nodes and high-value targets.
While joint production of the Taurus missile wasn’t explicitly announced, it appears to be on the table.
Russia, as expected, called this move an escalation and accused Germany of becoming a party to the war.
Yet, Moscow refrained from issuing concrete threats, likely because they already conducted sabotage operations and have even attempted assassinations—such as the recent attempt on the CEO of major German arms producer, Rheinmetall.
In truth, they have few options left to escalate directly against Germany without crossing actual red lines against a NATO power.
That makes Putin’s threats hollow.
The real question is whether Trump’s rhetoric will prove just as empty.
Recently, Trump claimed that the next 1.5 to 2 weeks would definitively prove whether Putin is genuinely interested in peace - or if he is still ‘‘tapping’’ Trump along.
(side note: implying that everything until now, including the missile barrages, the outrageous demands in Istanbul, and the endless delays, somehow weren’t enough to convince him.)
But fine—let’s grant that additional time.
The key point is this: if Russia continues its current behavior over the next two weeks, Trump will run out of excuses.
Even now, Trump is sensitive to being labeled weak or indecisive—particularly in relation to rolling back tariffs—and many Republicans are beginning to note that while Trump talks tough on Putin, he still hasn’t acted.
(side note: just look at how he reacted to the TACO - Trump Always Chickens Out - meme being widely circulated in the social media.)
We are thus rapidly approaching a crucial moment.
The risk to Ukraine is that Russia might pretend to moderate—dropping one impossible demand or staging a fake goodwill gesture—to delay further.
Ukraine must counter this by clearly demonstrating that Russia hasn’t abandoned its maximalist goals and is continuing to attack in the east.
Whether Trump will impose any real punitive measures is unclear.
And whether those measures will be remotely adequate is an even bigger question.
In the meantime, Congress should not delay. It should pass the sanctions bill proposed by Senator Lindsey Graham, which already has strong bipartisan support.
This would give Trump the tools to act decisively the moment Putin reveals—once again—that his strategy is to delay peace talks until he gains the upper hand on the battlefield.
Importance Of The “Sanctioning Russia Act”
For Trump to exert meaningful pressure, Congress must act swiftly by passing the bipartisan Sanctioning Russia Act, spearheaded by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Tom Cotton (R-AR).
This legislation, boasting an impressive 82 Senate co-sponsors, promises to impose crushing economic penalties on Russia.
The Russian economy already teeters under double-digit inflation, soaring interest rates, and acute labor shortages, surviving primarily through oil and gas export revenues.
The proposed sanctions would decisively sever this economic lifeline by blocking energy transactions through sanctioned Russian banks—a loophole permitted under President Joe Biden—and levying an unprecedented 500% secondary tariff on any nation importing Russian uranium, oil, gas, or petrochemicals.
By granting Trump the leverage to effectively exclude Russian energy from global markets, these sanctions could cripple the Kremlin financially, stripping Putin of vital resources to sustain his brutal campaign.
Crucially, Trump would still retain flexibility.
Sanctions only activate upon his formal determination that Putin refuses meaningful negotiations with Ukraine.
Moreover, Congress could augment this leverage by authorizing Foreign Military Financing (FMF) loans for Ukraine to procure U.S. weaponry—loans that would incur no cost to taxpayers and yield interest revenue.
If Trump is unwilling to help this country survive without seeking any profit from it, well then the least he could do is to sell Kyiv weapons that they require.
Putin’s gamble rests on the assumption that Trump’s interest will dwindle leaving Russia unchecked.
That instead of imposing costs on Putin, Trump would simply exit himself from the situation altogether.
Passing the Sanctioning Russia Act would shatter this illusion, making crystal clear the stark choice Putin faces: immediate ceasefire or economic ruin.
The votes are ready - and there is little legitimate reason for any further delay.