Trump to back Graham's Russia sanctions bill, White House says
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 Monday evening 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 Saturday. He had just returned to the U.S. from a trip to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham and a bipartisan group of senators on Friday 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 Monday 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 last year, when he called for "bone-crushing" sanctions on Russia. That version would have authorized Trump to impose so-called secondary tariffs as high as 500% 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 neighbor.
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 Zelenskyy for direct face-to-face negotiations.
Trump met with Zelenskyy 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 defenses 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% tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi's purchases of Russian energy. But he later removed the levy to help finalize a trade deal between the U.S. and India.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Monday selected Darline Graham Nordone, the late senator's only sibling, to serve out the remainder of the term.
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(With assistance from Aidan Williams, Jeff Mason and Mike Dorning.)
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President Donald Trump will 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.
Graham, one of the Senate's most ardent Republican supporters of Ukraine, died suddenly on Saturday. He had just returned to the U.S. from a trip to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham and a bipartisan group of senators on Friday said they had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to move ahead with new Russia sanctions legislation.
Trump's backing for the bill was first reported by CNN.
It is unclear how a new bill would be different from previous legislative efforts. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday 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 last year, when he called for "bone-crushing" sanctions on Russia. That version would have authorized Trump to impose so-called secondary tariffs as high as 500% 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 neighbor.
The new momentum for legislation comes as Ukraine's allies push Trump to refocus on the war and to get Russian leader Vladimir Putin back to the negotiating table. Talks have deadlocked and Putin rebuffed a recent call by Zelenskyy for direct face-to-face negotiations.
Trump met with Zelenskyy 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 defenses 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% tariff on Indian goods over New Delhi's purchases of Russian energy. But he later removed the levy to help finalize a trade deal between the U.S. and India.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Monday selected Darline Graham Nordone, the late senator's only sibling, to serve out the remainder of the term.
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With assistance from Aidan Williams and John Harney.
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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 7:46 PM.