Republican Senator Lindsey Graham urged President Trump to adopt a much tougher stance toward Moscow if the Kremlin refuses a peaceful settlement of the war against Ukraine, according to NBC News.
Graham emphasized that the US should apply to Russia an approach already tested on Venezuela – the physical interception of tankers carrying sanctioned oil. In addition, he proposes introducing “devastating” tariffs for countries that continue to finance the Russian war machine.
A US military helicopter flies over the Panama-flagged Centuries, which was intercepted by the US coastguard on Saturday [Handout/DHS via Reuters]
“If Putin says “no” this time, here’s what I hope President Trump will do. Sign my bill, which has 85 co-sponsors, and impose tariffs against countries like China that buy cheap Russian oil. Recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism for kidnapping 20,000 Ukrainian children. And, most importantly, seize vessels carrying sanctioned Russian oil, just as is done in Venezuela.”
The “85-strong” bill
This refers to a bipartisan initiative that Graham is promoting together with Democrat Richard Blumenthal. The document provides for the introduction of tariffs of up to 500% on goods from countries that buy Russian energy carriers, and the official recognition of the Russian Federation as a sponsor of terrorism.
According to the senator, the combination of military aid to Ukraine and the total economic isolation of Russia is the only “sledgehammer” capable of forcing the Kremlin to a just peace. Graham emphasized that Trump has all the necessary levers to turn Russia into a “trading island” if the aggression does not stop.
Security guarantees for Ukraine
Separately, Graham stressed that any peace agreement must include mechanisms to prevent a REPETTION of Russian aggression. In his view, this requires clear and credible security guarantees for Ukraine, including long-term commitments from Western partners.
He expressed support for deploying a European military contingent in Ukraine as a deterrent and warned that without stronger US pressure, Putin would continue attempts to seize additional territory, particularly in eastern Ukraine.
No progress
The Kremlin on Sunday appeared to throw cold water on the results of several days of peace talks in Miami, where American representatives met separately with Russian and Ukrainian officials in the latest round of negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war with Ukraine.
UNN