Senators are growing antsy to move ahead with a massive sanctions package against Russia, and the only thing standing in the way is President Donald Trump.
In the midst of the extremely partisan budget reconciliation process, nearly the entire upper chamber has coalesced behind the sanctions package from Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., which would slap up to 500% ‘bone-breaking’ tariffs on countries buying energy products from Moscow.
The measure is designed to place Russia’s war machine into a chokehold by imposing duties on oil, gas, uranium and other exports largely purchased by China and India, which account for nearly three-quarters of Moscow’s energy business.
Trump has pushed for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, which have so far not yielded an end to the three-year conflict, and has begun to sour on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reluctance to find a peaceful end to the ongoing conflict. He recently questioned ‘what the hell happened’ to the Russian leader.
The latest round of negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey, ended without a ceasefire, and Putin’s recent demands for large chunks of territory in exchange for peace have been nonstarters for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A successful surprise drone attack by Ukraine and fears of a retaliatory strike by Russia have lawmakers growing increasingly anxious to sanction Russia into oblivion, but the president has yet to give Graham — a top ally of Trump’s — and Blumenthal’s bill his blessing.
‘If President Trump asked me my opinion, I would tell them, ‘let’s go now,’’ Sen. John Kennedy, R-L.a., one of the 82 co-sponsors of the bill, told Fox News Digital.
And Graham, who traveled to Ukraine with Blumenthal to meet with Zelenskyy during the Senate’s Memorial Day recess, wants to see his sanctions levied against Russia by as early as next week when world powers gather in Italy for the upcoming G7 Summit to ‘deliver an unequivocal message to China.’
‘The theme of this engagement was that we appreciate President Trump’s earnest efforts to bring about peace and entice Putin to come to the table,’ Graham said in a statement after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. ‘It is our view Putin is not responding in kind, he is not interested in peace and that he plans to continue to dismember Ukraine.’
Blumenthal believed that Trump ‘has been played’ by Putin and accused the Russian leader of being ‘totally unserious’ about the negotiations with Ukraine.
The lawmaker confirmed to Fox News Digital that he and Graham would hold a briefing for all 100 Senators on the current state of affairs in Ukraine on Wednesday.
He said there was ‘no question’ that Trump’s input would be significant for the bill’s fate, but noted that even House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-L.a., came out in support of levying strict sanctions on Russia, which suggested a bicameral desire to inflict monetary pain on Moscow and its allies.
‘We have 82 senators, evenly divided, bipartisan, which I think speaks volumes,’ Blumenthal said. ‘If it’s given a vote, it will pass, and obviously President Trump’s views will matter as to whether it’s given a vote.’
Still, Senate Republican leadership is waiting for a green-light from the White House before making any decisions to put the bill on the floor.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., countered on the Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox Radio that his team and the White House were working together to make sure that the sanctions package ‘from a technical standpoint’ hit the mark of what the president wanted to do.
‘We’re trying to give [President Trump] as much space and room as necessary for him to try and negotiate the best possible outcome and get a peaceful solution in Ukraine,’ Thune said. ‘And if the sanctions contribute to that, then yeah, we’re available and ready to move.’
Meanwhile, lawmakers don’t see the sanctions package as undermining any ongoing efforts from the White House to broker a peace deal. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-S.C., believed that the legislation would instead act as a ‘real enabler’ for the Trump administration.
And Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va, similarly believed that the sanctions bill could give Trump a ‘stronger hand’ in negotiations.
‘These are sanctions that would be very punishing to the Russian economy,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘And we think the president can say, ‘Look, this is going to be very serious, but it can be avoided if we reach an accord right now that’s a cease fire.’’