WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump plans to support a Russia sanctions Bill championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, according to a White House official, a move that would intensify pressure on the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.
Trump’s backing would be a major win for Ukraine, bolstering long-stalled efforts to punish buyers of Russian oil and natural gas.
The President himself, however, sounded less committed to the Bill, when asked by a reporter in the evening of July 13 whether he supports the legislation.
“We’re talking about that,” Trump said. “We’ll decide very soon on that.”
Graham, one of the Senate’s most ardent Republican supporters of Ukraine, died suddenly on July 11.
He had just returned to the US from a trip to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Graham and a bipartisan group of senators on July 10 said they had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to move ahead with new Russia sanctions legislation.
CNN reported earlier that Trump was backing the legislation.
It is unclear how a new Bill would be different from previous legislative efforts. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on July 13 that lawmakers were “assessing” the legislation and praised Graham, South Carolina’s senior senator, as the “driving force” for the initiative.
“It would be great if we could figure out a way, a path forward to get that done,” Thune said. “It would be a great tribute and legacy for Lindsey.”
Graham’s Bill was initially proposed in April 2025, when he called for “bone-crushing” sanctions on Russia.
That version would have authorised Trump to impose so-called secondary tariffs as high as 500 per cent on countries that bought Russian energy.
The White House opposed passing previous Russia sanctions legislation, arguing that it would undercut diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war the Kremlin launched against its neighbour.
The new momentum for legislation comes as Ukraine’s allies push Trump to refocus on the war and to get Russian President Vladimir Putin back to the negotiating table.
Talks have deadlocked and Putin rebuffed a recent call by Zelensky for direct face-to-face negotiations.
Trump met with Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey last week and told him he would allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors.
Ukraine has sought more air defences to help combat withering Russian missile and drone strikes on its cities.
Trump has taken steps against Russian oil buyers in the past.
He imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian energy.
But he later removed the levy to help finalise a trade deal between the US and India.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on July 13 selected Darline Graham Nordone, the late senator’s only sibling, to serve out the remainder of the term. BLOOMBERG
