Sanctions Incoming: Senators Push Back Against Putin!

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal spoke to The Associated Press in Paris after meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and touring neighborhoods shattered by what they called the worst Russian bombardments since the full-scale invasion began.

In Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron — who they say is “100% aligned” with them on the war — the senators warned the window to prevent a renewed assault is closing. A sweeping U.S. sanctions bill could be the West’s last chance to choke off the Kremlin’s war economy, they said.

“What I learned on this trip was he’s preparing for more war,” Graham said of Putin. Blumenthal called the sanctions proposed in legislation “bone-crushing” and said it would place Russia’s economy “on a trade island.”

“It is crunch time for Putin and for the world because Russia is mounting a new offensive,” he said.

At the heart of their push is a bipartisan sanctions bill, backed by nearly the entire U.S. Senate but still facing uncertain odds in Washington. It would impose 500% tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports — targeting nations like China and India that account for roughly 70% of Russia’s energy trade and bankroll much of its war effort.

Graham called it “the most draconian bill I’ve ever seen in my life in the Senate.”

Source: Putin is Preparing for More War, US Senators Warn, Urging Swift Sanctions and Global Action