US senators working on large-scale sanctions against Russia visit Zelenskyy – photos

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hosted US Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal at his office. Both senators are co-authors of a bill proposing large-scale sanctions against Russia.

Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: The senators from the Republican and Democratic parties arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit and met with Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy noted that "Russia is trying to turn diplomacy into a laughingstock" and therefore, additional pressure must be applied.

"I’m grateful for the initiative – the bipartisan sanctions bill already supported by 82 senators," the president said. "We discussed this and other levers we can use to force Russia into peace." 

Zelenskyy thanked the senators for their "strong bipartisan support" and expressed hope for "the United States' real involvement at every stage of the negotiations".

Хороша зустріч з американськими сенаторами Ліндсі Гремом і Річардом Блюменталем. Дякую, що ви в Україні саме тоді, коли найбільше потрібна координація зусиль для наближення гідного й тривалого миру.

Ми однаково розуміємо, що Росія намагається зробити з дипломатії посміховисько:… pic.twitter.com/FgLRxCIWvG

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 30, 2025

Background:

• Senators Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham, along with 80 co-authors, submitted a bill proposing further economic sanctions against Russia for refusing a ceasefire.
• The bill includes the introduction of a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that purchase Russian oil.
• The senators have regularly issued threats of what they describe as "bone-crushing" sanctions against Russia, although these have not yet been implemented.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump is considering imposing sanctions on Russia this week – but a final decision has not been confirmed.

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