February 15, 2026 - WASHINGTON – On Saturday, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made this statement.

“I am extremely grateful that Senate Majority Leader Thune committed to me and Senator Blumenthal that he will take up our Russia sanctions legislation as soon as we have the votes. It is abundantly clear to me that a super majority will vote for this bill. When I informed President Zelensky of this news, he was thrilled. This will make a tremendous impact in Ukraine.

“This legislation will be a game changer. President Trump has embraced it. It is time to vote.

“I have also heard from many of our friends and allies in Europe that they support our legislation. I would now ask our European allies to engage. We will try to get the biggest vote we can, but they need to follow our lead. Europe has passed 20 sanctions packages, but they have had limited impact. Europe needs to up its game. The Trump Administration’s tariffs on India caused India to change its behavior, in terms of purchasing cheap Russian oil.

“I am looking forward to delivering a bipartisan product that will help end this bloodbath. Putin is not fully embracing peace at this point. Passage of this bill would give President Trump more leverage. At the same time, I would also recommend that in order to apply pressure to Putin’s war machine, it’s time to train Ukrainians on the Tomahawk missile system. Ukraine has informed us they can make great utilization of this new capability and they believe it would continue the momentum that has been achieved through four years of hard fighting.

“I do believe Putin can be pushed to the peace table, but he’s not there yet. China is the key. China must feel the pain of supporting Putin’s war machine through purchasing cheap Russian oil. This bill would give tools to the president to inflict that pain.

“I am not looking for confrontation – I am looking for an end to the brutality in Ukraine that leads to a just and honorable peace. That means an independent, sovereign Ukraine that is still standing and resolving land issues in a way that does entice China to invade Taiwan. And equally important, there must be security guarantees that would prevent a third invasion. These things are achievable only when Putin feels the pressure. In my opinion, that comes from making his oil and gas customers feel the pressure.”

Source: Senator Lindsey Graham