Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday called on President Donald Trump to abandon what he termed a “velvet glove” approach toward Vladimir Putin and instead impose immediate secondary sanctions designed to “break the Russian economy.” Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Pence said Trump should “pick up the phone” and press Senate Majority Leader John Thune to advance a bipartisan sanctions bill that already enjoys support from more than 80 senators. Pence praised Trump’s effort to broker a broader peace agreement following the U.S.–Russia summit in Anchorage on 15 August but warned that the Russian leader is “not going to stop until he’s stopped.” He argued that strong economic pressure must accompany diplomacy to prevent Putin from using negotiations to stall until winter and prolong the war in Ukraine. The appeal comes as Trump prepares to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders at the White House on Monday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cautioned that new sanctions could derail the fledgling talks, underscoring the divide within the administration over how hard to push Moscow while pursuing a negotiated settlement.