President Trump Is One Step Closer to Having the Leverage He Needs to End the War in Ukraine
“I’ve never been more optimistic than I am today. We have a magic moment in time here.” – Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) (7/10/26)
“Until the very day he passed, Lindsey remained focused on passing the Russia sanctions bill. Passing this legislation would honor my brother’s steadfast commitment to our national security and it would provide President Trump with additional leverage to bring this war to an end. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation and send it to President Trump’s desk.” – Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.)
LAST NIGHT THE SENATE TOOK THE FIRST STEP TOWARD GIVING PRESIDENT TRUMP MORE LEVERAGE TO CUT OFF THE RUSSIAN WAR MACHINE AND BRING VLADIMIR PUTIN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE
- “In a massive show of bipartisanship, 86 senators voted to move forward with a Russia and Iran sanctions bill championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham… It is a procedural vote, but leadership hopes that the strong bipartisan support will allow for an expedited path to final passage.” (Axios: 86 senators vote to move forward with Graham Russia sanctions bill – 7/28/26)
- “It would mark a rare bipartisan breakthrough on legislation to help end the war in Ukraine in a Senate that has spent much of the year engaged in partisan combat.” (Axios: Senate preparing to vote on Russia sanctions next week – 7/23/26)
- “When it comes to Ukraine, Trump has been clear about what he would do if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not agree to end the war: Trump promised to impose crippling secondary tariffs on all oil coming out of Russia and give Ukraine more weapons than they’ve ever received from the U.S.” (The Washington Post: op-ed: Watch Trump make good on his Ukraine promises – 7/9/25)
- President Trump has been pressuring Russia on the battlefield in an attempt to bring them to the negotiating table:
- “U.S. President Donald Trump said at a NATO summit [this month] in Turkey that the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot air defense systems to counter missile attacks from Russia in their more than four-year war, a huge coup for Kyiv which has long requested the technology.” (NPR: Trump wraps NATO summit on a positive note, after meeting Zelenskyy – 7/9/26)
- “It’s an escalation, but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end.” – President Donald Trump
- “Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking alongside Trump, said Russia was finding it harder to defend its own skies. He expressed hope the deal would ‘create the space now to negotiate the end of this war.’” (The Washington Post: Patriot missile deal and Trump’s praise for Zelensky put pressure on Russia – 7/10/26)
- “Trump’s siding with Ukraine comes as Putin is hurting on the battlefield, and his economy is under extreme pressure from the expense of the war and international sanctions.” (The Hill: Russia sanctions bill may move as Congress looks to honor Graham – 7/14/26)
THE LINDSEY O. GRAHAM SANCTIONING RUSSIA AND IRAN ACT OF 2026 CUTS OFF RUSSIA’S WAR MACHINE BY SANCTIONING REVENUE STREAMS OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT, PUTIN, AND HIS LEADERSHIP
- “The late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) long-awaited Russia sanctions legislation was formally unveiled [earlier this month], with a big bipartisan group of senators attributing it to Graham’s painstaking efforts…” (Punchbowl News: PM: House GOP fast tracks immigration bill – 7/14/26)
- “The bill was finalized prior to Graham’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv…” (Punchbowl News: PM: House GOP fast tracks immigration bill – 7/14/26)
- “Graham secured an agreement with the White House on the measure just a day before his sudden passing.” (Punchbowl News: AM: A SAVE Act cheat sheet for the W.H – 7/28/26)
- The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 “is designed to deprive Vladimir Putin of the revenue financing Russia’s war against Ukraine by imposing mandatory sanctions on Russia’s political leadership, financial institutions, energy sector, and sanctions evasion networks, while using targeted tariffs to pressure the world’s largest purchasers of Russian energy to reduce their dependence on Moscow.” (Sanctioning Russia Act – accessed 7/29/26; Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 – accessed 7/29/26)
- “The sanctions package would clear the way for Trump to impose heavy tariffs on imports from nations that buy Russian oil, uranium and natural gas, in an effort to further weaken Moscow amid its war with Ukraine.” (CNN: Trump backs Russia sanctions package spearheaded by Graham – 7/13/26)
- Specifically, the bill:
- Imposes sanctions targeting individuals and entities that power Russia’s war machine.
- Institutes “sanctions on the Russian Shadow Fleet and any foreign person or vessel that is used by the Russian government for sanctions evasion.”
- “Strengthens financial and export restrictions.”
- “[I]mposes tariffs on imports from countries that are the world’s top 5 purchasers of Russian crude oil or natural gas or are among the top 5 facilitators of Russian oil sanctions evasion.”
- Also “contains a waiver, consistent with other mandatory sanctions bills, allowing the President to waive sanctions, restrictions, or duties upon a justification and certification to Congress…” (Sanctioning Russia Act – accessed 7/29/26; Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 – accessed 7/29/26)
- The legislation also “extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 through 2031, preventing a potential lapse in authority. That law imposes secondary economic sanctions on non-U.S. companies doing business with Iran and was meant to expire this year.” (Bloomberg: US Senators Announce Deal on New Russia, Iran Sanctions Bill – 7/28/26)
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS INVESTED EXTRAORDINARY TIME AND EFFORT TO BRING AN END TO THE WAR, BUT PUTIN HAS PROLONGED THE WAR AND REFUSES TO ENGAGE IN THE GOOD-FAITH NEGOTIATIONS PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS ASKED FOR
- “President Trump said [in July 2025] that a phone call with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had not resulted in any movement toward ending the war in Ukraine, adding that he was ‘not happy’ with the conflict grinding on.” (The New York Times: Trump Says Call With Putin Yields No Progress on Ukraine Cease-Fire – 7/3/25)
- “Trump has told Putin he wants the war to end, citing the high casualties on both sides.” (The Wall Street Journal: Impressed by Ukraine’s Battlefield Gains, Trump Warms to Zelensky – 7/27/26)
- Instead, “Russia has stepped up its efforts to seize more territory in Ukraine’s east and intensified its aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities.” (The Wall Street Journal: Putin’s Strategy of Paying Lip Service to Peace Falters as Trump Loses Patience – 7/9/25)
- At the beginning of July, Russia launched one of its largest attacks on civilian locations in Kyiv of the war, killing dozens of civilians:
- “Russian forces launched a major drone and missile attack on Kyiv overnight into Thursday, killing at least 30 people, in what the city’s mayor described as the ‘most massive attack’ on the Ukrainian capital. … Although previous attacks have killed more people, this latest barrage deployed the largest number of weapons on the capital and hit locations over a wide area.” (BBC: ‘Most massive’ Russian attack on Kyiv kills at least 30 – 7/3/26)
- “Russian attacks killed at least 59 people in Kyiv area in just the past week – with one massive aerial strike claiming 31 lives on Thursday and another killing 28 on Monday. More than 200 people were injured.” (CNN: Trump surprises Zelensky with public promise on Patriots – but the missiles may not come soon enough – 7/9/26)
- This spring, “Ukraine accused Russia of violating a ceasefire initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at midnight Wednesday. … Russia announced a ceasefire for May 8 to 9 to coincide with commemorations of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two and a military parade in Moscow’s Red Square.” (Reuters: Ukraine says Russia violated ceasefire initiated by Kyiv – 5/6/26)
- And last December, “President Trump said he was ‘not happy’ about the Russia-Ukraine war after Moscow hit Kyiv with its largest drone attack since the war began… Russia’s attack on Ukraine … was also notable because Moscow hit a Ukrainian government building for the first time since the war began.” (The Hill: Trump expresses frustration with Russia, Putin after heavy attack on Ukraine – 9/7/25)
- Russia has also bombed American-owned companies in Ukraine: “Russia launched a rare drone and missile attack on western Ukraine overnight, officials said Thursday, striking targets including an American-owned electronics plant and injecting further uncertainty into the U.S.-led efforts to end the 3-year-old war.” (The Associated Press: Russian attack on western Ukraine hits an American factory during the US-led push for peace – 8/21/25)