Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the U.S. should continue putting the pressure on Russia to stop its attacks on Georgia. Grassley says if he were president, he’s make an attempt to take a trip to meet with the Russian president right away.
Grassley, a Republican, says the attack on Georgia is not a surprise. Grassley says he thinks it’s a case of "Russia has been wanting to flex its muscle for a long time," and are now flexing that muscle as people are distracted by the Olympics. Grassley says without a direct meeting, he would do what he could to have NATO and the U-N put the pressure on Russia.
Grassley says the efforts should be focused on Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Grassley says the U-S should do diplomatically what it can do, but he believes the president should confront the issue in "an aggressive way" and by NATO presidents personally so that they "get very personal with Putin."
The U.S. Secretary of State says they’re continuing to use diplomatic means to try and get Russia to stop its military action in Georgia.