Johnson was quoted by journalist Ostap Yarysh in a Twitter post. Yarysh previously worked for Voice of America before the broadcaster’s funding was frozen by the Trump administration.
“Vladimir Putin has shown an unwillingness to be reasonable and to talk seriously about brokering a peace, and I think we have to send him a message—that's my view,” said Johnson.
On July 8, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that the Senate will soon debate a bill imposing harsh restrictions not only on Russia but also on countries that support its economy.
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he would support the bill, expressing his disappointment with the Kremlin’s unwillingness to enact a ceasefire in the Russo–Ukrainian war.
“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin ... He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless,” Trump told reporters on July 8.
On June 6, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was urging Graham to soften the bill significantly. The WSJ noted that while more than 80 senators are backing the legislation, the president worried it might undermine his goal of improving U.S.-Russia relations.