Two U.S. lawmakers are stepping up efforts to push tough sanctions on Russia by tying them to a bill Congress must pass to keep the government running.
Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, both Republicans, have been pushing for months to advance a proposal that would slap strict penalties on Moscow if it refuses to negotiate peace with Ukraine. Their plan even extends to so-called “secondary sanctions,” which could hit countries like India and China for continuing to buy Russian oil.
So far, congressional leaders have avoided putting the bill to a vote, partly because President Donald Trump has been reluctant to sanction Russia directly. Instead, Trump has leaned on tariffs, particularly targeting India, the second-largest buyer of Russian oil after China.
But the upcoming government funding bill — known as a continuing resolution, or CR — may give Graham and Fitzpatrick the opening they need.
“This week, we’ll be urging colleagues from both parties to join us in advancing this legislation and standing with freedom against tyranny,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “Time is of the essence.”
They also welcomed Trump’s latest comments, in which he said the U.S. could impose new energy sanctions on Russia — but only if NATO allies agree to stop buying Russian oil and take similar steps.
Graham and Fitzpatrick argue that combining sanctions with tariffs, alongside continued U.S. weapons sales to Ukraine, is the best way to pressure Vladimir Putin into negotiating “a just and honorable peace.”
The White House has not yet commented on the lawmakers’ push to attach the sanctions to the funding bill. Photo by U.S. Senate Photo Office, Brett Flashnick, Wikimedia commons.
