WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) today made this joint statement after President Trump made a series of announcements regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, including his intention to impose secondary tariffs on Russia if they do not agree to a ceasefire in the next 50 days.

Graham and Blumenthal have introduced the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, which would impose secondary tariffs and sanctions on countries that continue to fund Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine. Their legislation has 85 cosponsors in the Senate.

“President Trump and his team have made a powerful move, implementing a new approach to end this bloodbath between Russia and Ukraine.

“Selling American-manufactured weapons to NATO – that will be used by Ukraine to defend themselves – is smart military policy and will enormously benefit the U.S. economy. Not only will these weapons be made in America, creating jobs for Americans, but they also will be purchased by the Europeans. This is a win-win scenario.

“However, the ultimate hammer to bring about the end of this war will be tariffs against countries, like China, India and Brazil, that prop up Putin’s war machine by purchasing cheap Russian oil and gas. President Trump’s decision to announce the implementation of 100 percent secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas if a peace agreement is not reached in the next 50 days is a real executive hammer to drive the parties to the negotiating table. The goal is not more tariffs and sanctions – the goal is to entice Putin to come to the peace table. 

“It is long overdue for the financial backers of Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine to pay a price for buying cheap energy products and marking it up in order to benefit their economies. The days of doing this without consequences are coming to an end.

“Finally, as President Trump indicated, we will join our colleagues in continuing to work with the White House on our bipartisan Russia sanctions legislation that would implement up to 500 percent tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas, and do not help Ukraine. The congressional legislation authorizing tariffs and sanctions would truly be a sledgehammer for President Trump to end this war, and it will allow for maximum flexibility to achieve that end. The benefit of our approach is that it blends congressional authorization of tariffs and sanctions with flexibility for presidential implementation, making it rock solid legally and politically.

“This bill has 85 cosponsors in the Senate and it would pass incredibly quickly. We will continue to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate, and with the Trump team to have this legislation ready to go at a moment’s notice.

“The combination of more American-made, European-purchased weapons for Ukraine and tariffs on the financial backers of Putin’s brutal war has changed the game. We sincerely believe President Trump has set in motion a new approach that has the highest likelihood yet of ending this bloodbath in the right way.”

####