Senator Rick Scott urges US Congress to hold Russia accountable, calls Putin a bandit

Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida, a member of several key Senate committees, told Radio Free Europe on 4 August that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "bandit" and condemned Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine. Scott urged Congress to pass the 2026 Russia Sanctions Bill, co‑sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham, and said he expects a future President Donald Trump to sign it.

He warned that the world faces a dangerous era, citing authoritarian leaders in China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela, and called for stronger support of US allies against these threats.