Lindsey Graham to push ‘bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs’ to pressure Russia into peace with Ukraine

As the Trump administration seeks to mediate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced that he plans to propose “bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs” this week in a bid to goad Russia into making peace.

The U.S. and Ukraine declared in a joint statement on Tuesday that Ukraine would be willing to agree to a 30-day ceasefire.

“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” the statement noted.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is seen inside the U.S. Capitol complex before a vote on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

But Graham noted in a Wednesday post on X that he is “skeptical that Russia will accept the ceasefire” and is “very doubtful they want to end this war.”

“In order to move toward peace, I will be introducing bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs against Russia before the end of the week. If they do not pursue the ceasefire with the same vigor as Ukraine, there will be hell to pay,” Graham warned. 

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“I expect overwhelming bipartisan support for my proposal,” he noted.

The U.S.-Ukraine statement noted that America “will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace” and “immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.”

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Graham has served the U.S. Senate for more than 22 years. Prior to that, he served eight years in the House.