WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that he believes President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0is prepared to \u201ccrush\u201d Russia\u2019s economy with a new wave of sanctions if Russian President\u00a0Vladimir Putin\u00a0refuses to meet with Ukrainian President\u00a0Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u00a0in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Graham, who spoke with Trump on Tuesday morning, has pushed the president for months to support his sweeping\u00a0bipartisan sanctions bill\u00a0that would impose steep tariffs on countries that are fueling Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine by buying its oil, gas, uranium, and other exports. The legislation has the backing of 85 senators, but Trump has yet to endorse it. Republican leaders have said they won\u2019t move without him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t have this thing moving in the right direction by the time we get back, then I think that plan B needs to kick in,\u201d Graham said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. The Senate, now away from Washington for the August recess, is scheduled to return in September.<\/p>\n
Graham\u2019s call with Trump came less than 24 hours after\u00a0high-stakes meetings\u00a0at the White House with Zelenskyy and several European leaders. Trump and the leaders emerged from those talks sounding optimistic, with the expectation being that a Putin and Zelenskyy sit-down will happen soon.<\/p>\n
Still, Trump\u2019s comments to Graham, one of his top congressional allies, mark the latest sign that pressure is building \u2014 not just on Putin, but on Trump as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrump believes that if Putin doesn\u2019t do his part, that he\u2019s going to have to crush his economy. Because you’ve got to mean what you say,\u201d Graham told reporters in South Carolina on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
As Congress prepares to return to session in early September, the next few weeks could become a defining test of whether lawmakers and international allies are prepared to act on their own if Trump doesn\u2019t follow through.<\/p>\n
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the lead Democrat pushing the bill with Graham, says there is a \u201clot of reason for skepticism and doubt\u201d after the meetings with Trump, especially because Putin has not made any direct promises. He said the Russian leader has an incentive to play \u201crope-a-dope\u201d with Trump.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only way to bring Putin to the table is to show strength,\u201d Blumenthal told the AP this week. \u201cWhat Putin understands is force and pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Republicans have shown\u00a0little willingness\u00a0to override Trump in his second term. They abruptly halted work on the sanctions bill before the August recess after Trump said the legislation may not be needed.<\/p>\n
Asked Tuesday in a phone interview whether the sanctions bill should be brought up even without Trump’s support, Graham said, \u201cthe best way to do it is with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will come a point where if it\u2019s clear that Putin is not going to entertain peace, that President Trump will have to back up what he said he would do,\u201d Graham said. \u201cAnd the best way to do it is have congressional blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The legislation would impose tariffs of up to 500% on countries such as China and India, which together account for roughly 70% of Russia\u2019s energy trade. The framework has the support of many European leaders.<\/p>\n
Many of those same European leaders left the White House on Monday with a more hopeful tone. Zelenskyy called the meeting with Trump \u201can important step toward ending this war.\u201d German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that his expectations \u201cwere not just met, they were exceeded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, little concrete progress was visible on the\u00a0main obstacles to peace. That deadlock likely favors Putin, whose forces continue to make steady, if slow, progress on the ground in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters after talks at the White House that Trump believes a deal with Putin is possible. But he said sanctions remain on the table if the process fails.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard contributed to this report from Florence, South Carolina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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