People have been demanding it for over a year and now it’s here. President Donald Trump called out the Russians on Twitter.

Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

….to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

The President said,

“Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price…to pay.”

This is exactly what the President’s critics have been clamoring for, some kind of acknowledgement. Does this mean action is coming? Only time will tell. But this is a clear and verifiable shift in tone and rhetoric from the President on Iran and even more so Russia.

He goes on to say,

“Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!”

Indeed. The President was sending signals that he wanted to hand the American operations in Syria over to responsible actors and “get out of Syria.” That option looks to be slipping away.

Russia is already rejecting that anything happened at all. Telling Reuters,  “The spread of bogus stories about the use of chlorine and other poisonous substances by (Syrian) government forces continues. Yet another such fabricated piece of information about an alleged chemical attack in Douma appeared yesterday,”

And hawkish Republicans like Lindsay Graham aren’t completely sold on the President’s pivot on Russia. Graham was quoted as saying, “You need to follow through with that tweet.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham on this — “If he doesn't follow through and live up to that tweet, he's going look weak in the eyes of Russia and Iran. This is a defining moment. You need to follow through with that tweet. Show a resolve that Obama never did to get this right.” https://t.co/frVgJFmSat

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 8, 2018

This barbarism cannot go unanswered. Time will tell what Trump’s words mean and what the “big price” will actually be. Russia and Iran have been warned and it would behoove them to find a way to remove Assad on their own.