US Senator Shaheen: Trump rolled out red carpet for murderous dictator on American soil, got nothing in return

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Friday criticised President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the US leader once again allowed himself to be manipulated.

“President Trump appears to have been played yet again by Vladimir Putin. The President rolled out a red carpet and warmly greeted a murderous dictator on American soil, and reports indicate he got nothing concrete in return”, Shaheen said in a statement.

She noted while Trump had promised to end the war in Ukraine “on Day One,” he has instead allowed Putin to repeatedly cross “red lines” without consequences.

“No deal is better than a bad deal, and I am encouraged that President Trump stated his commitment to debrief President Zelenskyy and our European allies. But his continued reluctance to hold Putin to account means Ukrainians will continue to die, Putin continues to act without consequences, and our deterrence against would-be aggressors in Beijing is weakened”, Shaheen said.

The senator urged Congress to act if the White House fails to do so.

“Enough is enough. If President Trump won’t act, Congress must do so decisively by passing crushing sanctions when we return in the coming weeks. I will also continue to press for my bipartisan legislation to bolster Ukraine’s defence with additional security assistance and my bipartisan bill to go after Russia’s enablers in China.

“There is no appetite in Congress to entertain a relationship with Russia while Putin continues to kidnap Ukrainian children and murder innocent civilians”, she added.