WASHINGTON — The Senate will “start moving” on a bill imposing more sanctions on the Kremlin following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said.
“I would expect next week that the Senate will start moving the sanctions bill,” Graham, an ally of President Trump but also a firm backer of Ukraine’s war efforts, said Friday, according to The Kyiv Independent.
“There are House members that are ready to move in the House, and you’ll see congressional action,” he added. “President Trump said that the next two-week period will be outcome-determined.”
The bipartisan meeting with Ukraine’s leader included Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who like Graham supports the legislation applying a 500% tariff on Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products.
Neither sits on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee where the bill, which has racked up at least 80 co-sponsors, is currently under consideration.
At least 82 senators are prepared to vote for it if it heads to the Senate floor, Graham told the outlet.
“I’ve never been more optimistic than I am today,” he added, when asked whether Trump would sign it.
“Russia faces a stark choice: peace or crippling sanctions,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said in a Senate floor speech on May 20.
“President Trump has spoken forcefully of swift, severe consequences if Russia fails to honor a ceasefire.”
On June 2, delegations from Russia and Ukraine had been expected to meet for talks in Istanbul — but Graham said he doesn’t have “any hope at all that Russia is interested in peace” given drone strikes in Ukraine that killed more than a dozen civilians on May 25.
It was the largest aerial bombardment in the war to date, with 355 drones and nine cruise missiles being unleashed.
Trump — who promised to end the war “on day one” of his second presidential term — slammed Putin as “absolutely crazy” following the strikes, but stopped short of announcing tougher sanctions on the regime despite having threatened them earlier this month.
“Russia is playing a game at the expense of the world, not just the United States,” Graham said, noting how oil from Moscow is prolonging the war by being sold to China and India.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that curtailing NATO expansion from the West, relaxing sanctions and official recognition of Ukraine’s neutral status are redlines for him in peace talks.
The Kremlin was not targeted with 10% baseline global tariffs as part of Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement in April, though the White House indicated previous sanctions made it irrelevant.
European leaders have already slapped sanctions on Russia over Putin’s refusal to accept a US-backed cease-fire deal.
“It’s clear to almost anyone — Putin is not remotely interested in anything that would lead to peace,” Graham added. “So there’s a card game going on this summer. The first cards are going to be played by the United States Senate and the House.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) backs stricter sanctions, and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) also suggested last week that the US should also send “more lethal weapons” to Ukraine.
“If Ukraine falls, it will always be known in the history books that it happened with Trump doing little to help Ukraine defend themselves with the means we have available,” Bacon said.
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