Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, alongside Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, has announced plans to push forward with legislation that would authorize US President Donald Trump to impose significant tariffs on countries that continue to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Graham emphasized the urgency of global action and reaffirmed that the US must take a leadership role in this effort.
In a statement released on social media, Graham said he is “very pleased” with Trump’s recent call for NATO nations, especially in Europe, to take coordinated economic action against Russia. According to Graham, China is “propping up Putin’s war machine” by purchasing discounted Russian oil and gas and must therefore face punitive tariffs from the US and its NATO allies.
The two lawmakers have been working for months on a bill that would authorize President Trump to impose significant tariffs on countries like China, India, and Brazil—nations that continue to “finance Putin” by buying Russian energy. Graham and Fitzpatrick stated.
“For months, we’ve worked together on legislation that would back up this strategy, empowering the President to levy significant tariffs on countries like China, India, and Brazil that continue to finance Putin by buying his cheap oil and gas.”
Both lawmakers voiced strong support for Trump’s call for joint action with Europe, calling this combined strategy the right way to apply maximum economic pressure on Russia. They added that there is overwhelming bipartisan support for using tariffs as a tool to help end the war in Ukraine.
Graham and Fitzpatrick plan to advance this legislation as part of the upcoming Continuing Resolution (CR), calling it “a test of resolve” for both the United States and its allies.
The move comes after Trump directly appealed to NATO countries, urging them to stop buying Russian oil and agree to place major sanctions.
In his letter posted on a social media site, Trump said that NATO’s commitment to winning the war “has been far less than 100 percent”: and the purchase of Russian oil by some members of the alliance is “shocking”. Trump said he was “ready to do major sanctions on Russia when all NATO nations have agreed and started to do the same thing, and when all NATO nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA.” He also accused some NATO members of undermining the alliance’s bargaining power by continuing to import Russian energy.
Trump said the war in Ukraine could end if all NATO nations agree to impose tariffs on China, ranging from 50 to 100 percent, to break China’s “grip” on Russia.
Graham and Fitzpatrick stressed that there is overwhelming bipartisan support for empowering President Trump to use “strong tariffs” as a tool to help end this war, and said in a statement, “We firmly believe the combination of sanctions and tariffs, along with the sale of high-end American weapons to Ukraine, is the key to bringing Putin to the table for a just and honorable peace.”
Attaching urgency to the situation, Graham asserted, “This is more than a matter of policy, it is a test of resolve. The free world must act, and America must lead.”