Trump Set To ‘Crush’ Russia Economy If Putin Evades Zelensky: Sen. Graham

Republican Senator and notorious anti-Russian hawk Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that he believes President Donald Trump is ready to hit Russia’s economy hard with a new round of sanctions if President Vladimir Putin refuses to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the near future.

The White House has said, after Trump met with Putin in Alaska Friday – and then with Zelensky and European leaders on Monday – that the Russian president agreed to a bilateral meeting with the Ukrainian leader. And then “if necessary” there could be a trilateral meeting involving President Trump after Putin and Zelensky meet.

“President Trump spoke with President Putin by phone, and he agreed to begin the next phase of the peace process, a meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy, which would be followed, if necessary, by a trilateral meeting between President Putin, President Zelensky and President Trump,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a Tuesday press briefing.

The Kremlin and even Russian state media have remained vague and non-committal on the question of a Putin-Zelensky meeting. In short, Moscow has yet to offer the same level of confirmation from its side.

Graham, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, spoke with Trump Tuesday morning, and has for months been pushing a major bipartisan sanctions bill targeting Moscow – which if passed would impose heavy tariffs on countries that help fund Russia’s military in Ukraine by purchasing its oil, gas, uranium, and other exports.

Trump has yet to endorse it, leaving time for breakthrough negotiations toward final peace settlement, though it reportedly has the support of 85 senators at this point.

“If we don’t have this thing moving in the right direction by the time we get back, then I think that plan B needs to kick in,” Graham told The Associated Press.

Pressure continues building on the Republican president: “Trump believes that if Putin doesn’t do his part, that he’s going to have to crush his economy. Because you’ve got to mean what you say,” Graham said.

And more from the bill’s Democratic co-sponsor:

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the lead Democrat pushing the bill with Graham, says there is a “lot of reason for skepticism and doubt” after the meetings with Trump, especially because Putin has not made any direct promises. He said the Russian leader has an incentive to play “rope-a-dope” with Trump.

“The only way to bring Putin to the table is to show strength,” Blumenthal told the AP this week. “What Putin understands is force and pressure.”

The proposed legislation would most immediately impact major global competitors like China and India, which together make up 70% of Russia’s energy export market. They could be hit potentially with US tariffs as high as 500%.

How it started vs how it’s going. pic.twitter.com/uZxyzgwJyh

— Daniel Foubert 🇫🇷🇵🇱 (@Arrogance_0024) August 19, 2025

Zelensky has meanwhile accused Putin of using negotiations to intentionally stall and buy time to build up his forces and solidify battlefield gains. He has alleged that it is pure deception that the Kremlin is genuinely interested in achieving peace.