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Graham’s sanctions push
President Donald Trump will support the passage of a bipartisan Russia sanctions package spearheaded by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a White House official told CNN on Monday.
The Hill reported that a White House official confirmed Trump’s support for Graham’s Russia sanctions bill, with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen saying, “There can be no more fitting memorial to Lindsey, his legacy, or the causes he fought for, than to pass this legislation and realize his long-held dream of an independent and secure Ukraine,”.
CNN said Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal had previously indicated the administration was prepared to back the package after reaching an agreement, and it described the sanctions package as clearing the way for Trump to impose heavy tariffs on imports from nations that buy Russian oil, uranium and natural gas.
The Hill said Graham’s bill, known as the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, proposed 500 percent tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil and gas, and it quoted Graham speaking from Kyiv during his 10th visit to the country prior to his death.
Ukraine weighs the loss
With the death of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, Ukraine lost a close ally in President Donald Trump’s orbit, leaving Ukrainian leaders grappling with implications for their war-torn country, the PBS report said.
PBS quoted lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko saying, “He was truly indispensable. I even don't know who might be as important for us now in Trump's entourage.”
PBS also reported that Zelenskyy said he had “constant dialogue” with Graham, and it added that Zelenskyy remembered Graham as someone who visited Ukraine 10 times since Russia's full-scale invasion and was with Ukrainians “when it was most needed.”
The Hill described how Graham and Shaheen, along with Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Roger Wicker, reached an agreement with the White House regarding the text for potential sanctions legislation against Russia prior to Graham’s sudden death over the weekend.
Conspiracies and next steps
While official reporting tied Graham’s death to a medical cause, L’Express said far-right influencer Laura Loomer and other MAGA figures asked, “Did Russia assassinate an American senator?” after Graham’s sudden death.
L’Express reported that on Monday, July 13, it was reported that Lindsey Graham had suffered an aortic rupture, according to preliminary conclusions from the coroner, relayed by the Associated Press, and it said the official cause of death would be released after toxicological and microscopic analyses.
CNN said Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN that he has hopeful and that the sanctions package was “the thing that he cared the most about in terms of an accomplishment, and it would certainly be an incredible legacy for him.”
CNN also quoted Blumenthal saying, “It should be seen as a fitting tribute to Sen. Graham to do it quickly in his memory,” as he described plans to speak with Thune about final preparations and timing for the bill’s passage.
