US President Donald Trump appears to be intensifying pressure on Moscow to enter negotiations to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine. Trump has asked Senator Lindsey Graham to advance his bipartisan secondary sanctions bill targeting Russia. The legislation would impose extensive sanctions on all nations purchasing Russian oil or gas, including Brazil, China and India, in a bid to severely undermine Moscow’s fossil fuel-dependent economy and bring its war efforts to a standstill.
Trump’s approval of the bill came on the same day US forces seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker Bella 1 in the North Atlantic following a weeks-long chase, a move that provoked fierce criticism from Putin’s allies. It follows after Trump’s chilling three-word whisper to Putin before their meeting was revealed by a lipreader.
This came shortly after the president authorised a US special forces operation to capture and arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on alleged narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges, sending shockwaves around the world.
Both actions, political analysts caution, risk inflaming tensions between Moscow and Washington.
Graham, a long-standing war hawk and prominent Ukraine supporter, said the Senate could vote on his bill as early as next week.
“This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil fueling Putin’s war machine,” Graham said. The senator revealed he had held a constructive meeting with the president earlier in the week, discussing a range of foreign policy matters, during which Trump shifted his position and indicated his support to see the bill through to completion.
Observers suggest that Trump’s change of heart likely reflects his mounting frustration with securing a deal. The president regularly highlights his attempts to end conflicts internationally and has expressed disappointment after missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump reportedly believes that progressing the bill will provide valuable leverage to compel Moscow to engage in genuine negotiations, a White House official informed The Kyiv Independent.
Graham has previously faced difficulties in advancing his pro-Ukraine legislative initiatives, as Trump reportedly felt that severe sanctions on Moscow would hinder ceasefire negotiations.
His bill has never been brought before the Senate floor previously due to Trump’s earlier negotiating approach, though Graham is confident the “overwhelming bipartisan” bill will succeed in Congress.
Trump imposed sanctions on Russia‘s two largest oil firms, Rosneft and Lukoil, following months of unsuccessful negotiations. It marked the first occasion the president had taken such action since returning to office.
The development follows shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his third visit of the 2025 calendar year to Washington in December to further Trump’s peace plan. Trump’s phone conversations with Putin, both prior to and following his meeting with Zelenskyy, have raised eyebrows regarding his stance.
The most significant hurdles in sealing a deal continue to be contentious matters such as territory and security assurances.
This follows the backlash Trump faced when he was labelled ‘a disgrace’ for his contentious remarks about an ICE agent implicated in the Minneapolis shooting.