Palmetto State News

U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal are leading a bipartisan group of 50 senators in proposing primary and secondary sanctions against Russia. The sanctions aim to respond if Russia fails to engage in meaningful peace talks with Ukraine or starts new military actions compromising Ukraine's sovereignty. The legislation also includes a 500 percent tariff on imports from countries purchasing Russian energy products.

The sanctions come amid ongoing concerns over Russia's actions in Ukraine, with Graham and Blumenthal asserting strong bipartisan support. They stated, "The dominating view in the United States Senate is that Russia is the aggressor, and that this horrific war and Putin's aggression must end now and be deterred in the future."

The need for a robust response is framed within historical contexts, referencing Ukraine's agreements to relinquish nuclear arms under the Budapest Memorandum and subsequent failures of the Minsk agreements to prevent further Russian aggression. Graham and Blumenthal expressed hopes that President Trump will secure a durable peace.

They mentioned, "These sanctions against Russia are at the ready and will receive overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral support if presented to the Senate and House for a vote."

The sanctions have a broad coalition of cosponsors from both parties, with notable backing from senators including Dan Sullivan, Dick Durbin, Katie Britt, and Sheldon Whitehouse, among others.

Parallel efforts are underway in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Quigley, Joe Wilson, and Marcy Kaptur.