Graham says deal reached with White House on Russia sanctions bill
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican Party), who arrived in Ukraine, announced on Friday that an agreement had been reached with the White House on a draft bill imposing sanctions against Russia.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, he made this statement during a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.
"We've been working with the administration, Senator [Richard] Blumenthal and myself, Senator [Jeanne] Shaheen, to make sure that it was acceptable to the administration, that it was written in a way they could support. I'm pleased to announce, as of about 30 minutes ago, we've reached agreement with the White House on a version of the Russian sanctions bill that they will support. That means it's going to become law," Graham said.
He added that after returning to Washington, he and Blumenthal would contact Republican and Democratic leaders to determine "if we can find time to move this Russian sanctions package." Graham believes that "it would give tools to President Trump to help end this war."
"There's some things we can do on the technology front to build on the lethality of Ukraine to protect itself from ballistic missile attack. If we did that, combined with creating tools to punish those countries that prop up Putin, that make money off this war, then I think we've got the best chance since I've been coming here in the last five years to get Putin to the peace table," he said.
Graham also noted that after returning to the United States, he would hold talks with Trump and with countries that buy cheap Russian oil and circumvent sanctions in order to convince them to help end the war.
"To these countries who buy cheap Russian oil and prop up Putin, I know who you are. You're some of our best friends. To the countries that buy Russian gas cheap to prop up Putin, I know who you are. You're some of our best friends. To the countries that evade sanctions to buy Russian oil and gas to resell it for a profit, I know who you are, and you're some of our best friends," he said.
The bill was introduced in the Senate on December 17, 2025.
In January 2026, Lindsey Graham said that following a productive meeting with President Donald Trump, he had secured approval for a bipartisan bill imposing sanctions on Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk have repeatedly discussed with Graham and Blumenthal the progress of their bill on sanctions against Russia.
Back in February, Blumenthal expressed hope that the bipartisan bill on tough sanctions against Russia was "on the verge of a vote."