Senator Graham supports giving Ukraine Tomahawk missiles if Putin says "no" to peace deal
US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham believes that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin rejects a peace deal, US President Donald Trump should go all in and provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike military production facilities inside Russia.
Source: Graham speaking on NBC News, as reported by Ukrinform
Quote: "We keep engaging Russia, we keep trying to lure Putin to the peace table, and he rebuffs all of our efforts.
If he says 'no' this time, here's what I hope President Trump will do. Sign my bill [imposing high tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil] that has 85 co-sponsors and put tariffs on countries like China who buy cheap Russian oil, make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for kidnapping 20,000 Ukrainian kids, and most importantly, seize ships that are carrying sanctioned Russian oil like they're doing in Venezuela.
If Putin says 'no', we need to dramatically change the game, including giving Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine to hit the drone and missile factories that exist in Russia. I would go all in if Putin says 'no'."
Details: Graham also said he wants to see a peace agreement that would prevent a third Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Quote: "I want European troops on the ground [in Ukraine] to make sure there's no third invasion. I want us to give security guarantees to Ukraine to make sure there's no third invasion."
Details: In Graham's view, Putin will continue attempts to seize territory in Donetsk Oblast unless the US significantly increases pressure on him.
Background:
- Rustem Umierov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said that the next meeting between the Ukrainian delegation and the US side would take place in the United States on 21 December.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was expecting a report from Umierov on negotiations with the American side.
- The Kremlin also said it awaited a report from Russian leader Vladimir Putin's Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev on the outcome of talks involving representatives of the US, European countries and Ukraine, but it believes that most of them will be categorically unacceptable for Russia.
- Umierov said that Ukrainian representatives had held several productive and constructive meetings with US and European partners over three days in Florida, during which four key documents were discussed.
- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump discussed efforts to achieve a "just and lasting end" to the war in Ukraine during a phone call on 21 December.
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