SEN LINDSEY GRAHAM: Russia sanctions bill aims to change Putin's calculus, protect world order
President Donald Trump is making an earnest and sincere effort to secure a ceasefire and an eventual just and honorable end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
He and his team have engaged Russia's Vladimir Putin in order to find that pathway forward, but it is clear the only pathway Putin is interested in is military operations in Ukraine and eventually, beyond.
As a result, the coming days will be extremely consequential for the Kremlin and those who are propping up Putin's war machine. Additional action from both Europe and the United States is inevitable.
The Russia-Ukraine war has garnered global attention, not only because of its barbaric nature but also the consequences to world order.
We have been working with the White House since day one in drafting this package. We now have over 84 Senate cosponsors and 70 House cosponsors of legislation to enact hard-hitting sanctions and tariffs on Russia and its financial backers.
It is clear to me and virtually every sponsor of the Russia sanctions bill that the way we deal with Putin will either encourage or deter bad actors.
The purpose of this legislation is to break the cycle of China -- a communist dictatorship -- buying oil below market price from Putin's Russia, which empowers his war machine to kill innocent Ukrainian civilians.
This bill would end that cycle.
China is watching the United States' resolve regarding Putin's effort to dismember Ukraine and possibly other sovereign nations. It is not my goal to humiliate Russia, but it is my goal to make sure that China sees the outcome of this conflict and feels that its efforts to take Taiwan by force would not be in the People's Republic's best interest.
It is also very important that we let Iran and other aggressive nation states know that the price for disrupting world order, seizing other nation's land and trying to dominate their neighbors is not worth it.
I have been incredibly impressed with Europe's recent resolve, both in toughening sanctions and investing in their military. Europe is answering President Trump's call to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product.
As a result of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, NATO is bigger and tougher than ever. However, it is important that we continue to act decisively to end this war not only soon, but in the right way.
Unfortunately, the more we engage Putin, the more aggressive he gets. It's time to change the game.
New European sanctions on Russia's energy and banking sectors were released this week, and they are more hard-hitting than ever. This package also singles out Chinese business entities for their financial support of the war and recommends lowering the price that Europe pays for Russian oil from $60 to $45 per barrel, in order to drive down Russian revenues that allow Putin's bloodbath to continue.
As to the Russia sanctions bill in the U.S. Congress, overwhelming support continues to build. Our goal is to give President Trump more leverage to end this war quickly.
This bicameral, bipartisan bill is simple – and we've made some important changes.
The United States and our allies have paid a price in the past to maintain freedom and order, and we shall again.
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