Graham Warns U.S. Must “Go All In” Against Putin as Peace Talks Stall

Former Senator Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, has accused Russia of employing disingenuous peace efforts in negotiations with the United States and the world, drawing a comparison to Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown during his Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“Here’s what I think: We’re going to be Lucy with the football if we don’t watch it,” Graham stated. He criticized ongoing U.S. engagement with Russia, noting that repeated attempts to lure Vladimir Putin to the peace table have been consistently rebuffed by the Russian leader.

Graham urged President Donald Trump to adopt a more assertive strategy against Russian aggression, emphasizing a “peace through strength” approach. If Putin refuses further dialogue, he recommended Trump sign legislation with 85 co-sponsors that would impose tariffs on countries like China—major purchasers of cheap Russian oil—and designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism for the alleged kidnapping of 20,000 Ukrainian children. He also called for seizing ships carrying sanctioned Russian oil, similar to actions taken in Venezuela.

Additionally, Graham stressed that if Putin declines engagement, the U.S. should “dramatically change the game” by providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine to target Russian drone and missile production facilities.

Graham acknowledged Russia has not demonstrated genuine willingness to end the war despite recent suggestions of openness. He described Trump’s peace negotiation team as overestimating Putin’s commitment to peace, noting their three-day talks in Miami concluded without meaningful progress.

“We’ve made great progress between Ukraine, Europe, and the United States to come up with a proposal that would end the war,” Graham said. “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 emphasized the need for European troops on the ground in Ukraine to ensure no further invasions and concrete security guarantees for Ukraine to deter potential aggression from Russia.