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 shortly.
The White House has stated that, following Trump's meetings with Putin in Alaska on Friday and with Zelensky and European leaders on Monday, 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 a final peace settlement, though it reportedly has the support of 85 senators at this point.
