Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday after a wave of Kremlin attacks last weekend.
The three leaders discussed a legislative initiative to strengthen U.S. sanctions against Russia and ongoing peace negotiations according to Zelensky’s office.
“Ukraine’s fight is our fight. Our national security is at stake because [Russian President] Vladimir Putin will keep going and his aggression will continue not just against Ukraine but against our allies and we will be obligated by our treaty to put troops on the ground,” Blumenthal said in a Friday video post on the social media platform X.
“Now is the time to stop Putin, now is the time to support Ukraine and I’m inspired by the continuing bravery and strength of the Ukrainian people,” he added.
In response to the over three-years long war, Graham has pushed ahead a bill in the upper chamber seeking to increase sanctions on Russia in an effort to tame their aggression in Eastern Europe.
Despite 82 co-sponsors for Graham’s bill, lawmakers said they will wait to put the bill on the floor until President Trump approves of harsher measures.
The president has signaled that he is nearing his edge with Putin, who ordered strikes in Kyiv over the weekend.
“He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”
The president said Putin had “gone absolutely crazy” while slamming Zelensky for his rhetoric on the war.
Still, Trump told reporters that he was only “considering” sanctions.
Ceasefire talks are slated to take place in Istanbul early next week, but Zelensky says Putin has shown no real desire for the bloodshed to end.
“The President noted that Ukraine remains ready for constructive negotiations, but the Russian side cannot even define the agenda of the meeting planned for June 2 in Istanbul,” Zelensky’s office wrote in a Friday release.
“Russia shows a desire for peace only in statements, while instead preparing for new offensive operations,” it continued.
To date, more than 500,000 soldiers have been injured or killed in the Russia-Ukraine war.
