Alabama Senator Katie Britt defended President Donald Trump’s engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan, even as she champions a bill to designate Russia a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) for the alleged kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
During the exchange, moderated by Margaret Brennan, Sen. Britt maintained that the President’s diplomatic efforts would not endanger her legislative push, which seeks to bring home an estimated 20,000 children stolen from Ukraine.
When asked directly if the President’s decision to meet with Putin jeopardized her SST bill, Sen. Britt pivoted, expressing gratitude for President Trump’s efforts and laying the blame for the ongoing conflict on the previous administration.
“Look, I am grateful for President Trump’s efforts on this,” Sen. Britt said. “If you look back, we are in this war because of [the previous administration]. If [the previous administration] had sent the weaponry needed to Ukraine on the front end, when we saw Russia building up, we wouldn’t be in this war to start with.”
The Senator further argued that President Trump has been more engaged with Ukrainian leadership than his predecessor. “When you’re looking at what President Trump has done, he has met with [President] Zelenskyy more times in his nine months in office… than [the previous president] did his entire time.”
Regarding the State Sponsor of Terrorism legislation, Brennan pressed Britt on the support needed to bring the bill to the Senate floor. Sen. Britt responded optimistically, suggesting the diplomatic conversations with Russia could lead to a resolution.
“So, these conversations help us to have resolution,” Britt stated. She noted that the First Lady has been “leading on this” effort and confirmed that the bill is gaining traction, with a hearing scheduled for next week.
“I think you will see this come to the floor if there is not a resolution in the short order, because we believe in bringing these children home,” Britt asserted, emphasizing the gravity of the alleged crimes. “Margaret, it’s about 20,000 children that have been stolen from their homes. This is something everyone should be able to get behind and Vladimir Putin should pay the price for.”
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