President Must Wield New Sanctions Powers
This month, Congress gave President Trump powerful new tools to help end Russia’s assault on Ukraine. Lawmakers passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by overwhelming margins—86 to 11 in the Senate and 262 to 159 in the House of Representatives. The president promptly signed the bill into law. The legislation takes on Vladimir Putin’s bank accounts—the funds he needs to wage his illegal, unprovoked war.
Putin Stands Against Peace
The sanctions law arms the president with negotiation leverage just as his administration renews its push for peace. This leverage is crucial, because Putin understands only one thing: power. He does not respect borders, he does not spare civilians, and he never honors a promise.
When Americans engage with the Russian leader, they must be clear-eyed about the character of the man across the table. He is the only one responsible for the continuing bloodshed. In fact, that tendency for violence has marked his entire quarter century in office. Since he came to power, Putin has worked to keep former Soviet republics from living as free, democratic nations and has done so at the cost of millions of lives.
In 2003, the country of Georgia decisively voted to embrace Western countries and values. Putin was furious. He spent five years fabricating reasons to invade the sovereign nation. In 2008, he followed through. To this day, Russia occupies 20 percent of Georgian land. Putin also punishes Armenia, Georgia’s southern neighbor, any time its leaders take a step toward Europe. In May, he threatened Armenia with a “Ukraine scenario” if it builds partnerships with the free world. Putin has likewise violated and harassed Moldova, Estonia, Lithuania, and other former Soviet republics.
Putin’s Legacy of Death
Vladimir Putin’s disregard for borders is matched only by his indifference toward human life. He has ordered the death of journalists, whistleblowers, and opposition political figures. His army has killed dozens of evangelical pastors in Ukraine and turned their houses of worship into ammo depots. Since he launched the war, Putin has overseen the shocking kidnapping of 20,000 children. His men seek out the most vulnerable children, those with disabilities or in poverty. They ship them to reeducation camps. Sometimes they even put these Ukrainian children through Russian cadet school, teaching them to fight against their own homeland.
Putin Mocks Peace Deals
I commend the president for working toward peace, and I recognize the difficulty in negotiating with a man like Vladimir Putin, who is hell-bent on conquest. The contrast between the parties is clear. While Russia has escalated strikes on civilians, Ukraine has repeatedly offered to hold a ceasefire. Putin makes a public show of attending peace talks. Then he shells Ukrainian towns, or he gives Iran intelligence used to target American troops. He mocks the peace process. But he might be compelled to take it more seriously if his bank account is threatened.
Make Putin Feel Costs
The Lindsey Graham sanctions law can inflict the kinds of financial costs that would make Putin reconsider his war. The legislation gives President Trump a range of tools. He can add new financial restrictions on Putin, his cronies, and companies that support Russian weapons manufacturing—making it hard for them to participate in the global economy. The president can sanction Russia’s biggest energy customers, which are Putin’s chief source of revenue. And he has new tools to stop Russia’s “shadow fleet” from evading existing sanctions.
These are forceful options, written in a language that the war criminal Putin can understand. Peace will come through American and Ukrainian strength—not through Putin’s good will. I urge President Trump to wield each of these new authorities to the fullest extent.
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