Trump to Support Russia Sanctions Bill Advocated by Graham

President Donald Trump will support a Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, according to a White House official, a move that would ramp up pressure on the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine.

(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump will support a Russia sanctions bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, according to a White House official, a move that would ramp up pressure on the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. Trump’s backing would be a major win for Ukraine, boosting long-stalled efforts to punish buyers of Russian oil and natural gas.

Graham, one of the Senate’s most vocal Republican backers of Ukraine, died suddenly on Saturday. He had returned to the US from a trip to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham and a bipartisan group of senators on Friday said they had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to move ahead with new Russia sanctions legislation.

It is unclear how a new bill would be different from prior legislative efforts. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday lawmakers were “assessing” the legislation and praised Graham as the “driving force” for the initiative. “It would be great if we could figure out a way, a path forward to get that done,” Thune said.

“It would be a great tribute and legacy for Lindsey.” The White House opposed passing previous Russia sanctions legislation, arguing that it would undercut diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war the Kremlin launched on its neighbor. The new momentum for legislation comes as Ukraine’s allies push Trump to refocus on the war and to get Russian President Vladimir Putin back to the negotiating table.

Talks have deadlocked and Putin rebuffed a recent call by Zelenskyy for direct face-to-face negotiations. Trump met with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey last week and told his counterpart he would allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors. Ukraine has sought more air defenses to help combat withering Russian missile and drone strikes on its cities.

Trump has taken steps against Russian oil buyers in the past. He imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian energy. But he later removed the levy to help finalize a trade deal between the US and India.

—With assistance from Aidan Williams.