Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that President Donald Trump is uniquely positioned to broker an end to the war in Ukraine, while also calling for stronger economic pressure on Russia and insisting that any peace agreement must include the return of thousands of Ukrainian children taken by Russian forces.
“The only reason Vladimir Putin [was] in Alaska is because Trump threatened to put a 50% tariff on India for buying Russian oil and gas,” the South Carolina Republican told Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’ “Putin fears Trump.”
Graham endorsed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s call for European allies to stop purchasing Russian energy, saying that targeting Moscow’s oil and gas customers is the most effective way to weaken its war effort.
“If Europe and the United States banded together and told Russia that if this war does not come to an end, we’re going to destroy your fossil fuel economy, this war would come to an end,” he said.
He urged European nations to impose tariffs on countries such as India and China that continue purchasing Russian crude. Graham noted that Trump already has authority under legislation with more than 800 co-sponsors to impose tariffs up to 500%. Trump, he said, has already ordered a 50% tariff on India’s imports of Russian oil, set to take effect within months, and could take similar steps against China to increase pressure on Putin.
Graham also warned that Russia must return the approximately 19,000 Ukrainian children international monitors say were forcibly taken.
“Russia has kidnapped 19,000 Ukrainian children, taken from Ukrainian families and sent to Russia,” he said. “If they do not return these children to Ukraine, then I’m going to push legislation to make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law.”
Graham and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., issued a statement this weekend saying they are considering bipartisan legislation to advance that designation.
Meanwhile, First Lady Melania Trump sent a letter to Putin, hand-delivered by her husband on Friday, urging him to release the Ukrainian children. Graham, however, said that would not be enough to sway Moscow.
The senator expressed confidence that Trump could secure a settlement ensuring Ukraine’s security and preventing future conflicts with Russia. But he cautioned against granting Moscow formal control of seized territory, warning such concessions could embolden China in its stance toward Taiwan.
