A bill authored by Senator Lindsey Graham threatens additional tariffs if Moscow does not agree to a peace deal with Kiev
US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a new sanctions bill targeting Russia if it does not make progress in ceasefire talks with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing European officials familiar with the matter.
The legislation has been authored by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham – a longtime advocate of hardline policies against Moscow.
The US imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia under former President Joe Biden following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Trump has since signaled a willingness to restore bilateral contacts and possibly even lift the sanctions as part of a negotiated peace.
The Trump administration has said, however, that it would not pursue a peaceful resolution of the conflict indefinitely if no progress is made.
According to Bloomberg, US officials have privately told their European counterparts that Trump may allow Graham’s bill to proceed if “Russia doesn’t budge,” and could deliver the warning to President Vladimir Putin during a scheduled call on Monday.
Graham, a prominent Russia hawk, has in the past called for Putin’s assassination, backed extensive military aid to Kiev, and stated that Russians dying in the Ukraine conflict is “the best money we’ve ever spent.” He has also praised Ukraine for fighting what he described as a proxy war on behalf of the US.
In April, he proposed a sanctions package that he said would be “devastating” for the Russian economy, including 500% tariffs on goods from countries that continue trading with Moscow. He claimed that the proposal has majority support in the Senate.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed the possibility of additional sanctions on Moscow in an interview with CBS on Sunday, saying he conveyed this to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the day before, urging an immediate ceasefire.
Russia has rejected calls for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, saying that while it is open to the idea, it is concerned that Ukraine would exploit the pause to rearm and continue its mobilization efforts. Moscow has instead insisted on negotiating a long-term resolution of the conflict that addresses the root causes.
The EU has also approved its 17th package of sanctions on Russia, attempting to use it as a means of pressuring the country into making concessions to Ukraine.
The Kremlin has described the West’s “language of ultimatums” as unacceptable. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned that this rhetoric could result in “unsuccessful negotiations,” leading to a “more terrible stage of the war with new weapons and participants.”
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