US Senator Lindsey Graham has thrown his support behind President Donald Trump’s push to intensify economic pressure on Russia by targeting what he called “Putin’s customers,” specifically India and China. His remarks came after Russian drones entered Polish airspace, drawing sharp responses from Warsaw and European Union leaders. In an interview with NBC News, Graham argued that Europe must align with Trump’s approach, which seeks to punish nations continuing to buy Russian oil and gas.
“It’s time for Europe to get behind President Donald Trump to punish Putin’s customers. Putin has been sanctioned in every way possible. President Trump’s approach is to go after India and China. They will change their practices toward Putin, and this war will end,” Graham said. He also released a joint statement praising Trump’s call for coordinated economic action, arguing that China in particular was “propping up Putin’s war machine” through discounted energy purchases and must face punitive tariffs from the United States and NATO partners.
The statement further revealed that Graham and other lawmakers have been working for months on legislation that would authorize Trump to impose significant tariffs not only on China and India but also on Brazil, which continues to buy Russian fuel. This push aligns with Trump’s broader effort to expand the scope of sanctions beyond Russia itself and target its key trading partners.
On Saturday, Trump urged NATO countries to cut off Russian oil purchases and floated the idea of imposing 50 to 100 percent tariffs on China until the Ukraine war ends. He argued that such steep tariffs would break Beijing’s “grip” over Moscow and help bring the conflict to a close.
China, however, rejected the proposal as counterproductive. During a state visit to Slovenia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that war could not solve problems and sanctions only made them worse. He emphasized that China’s role was to encourage peace talks and promote dialogue rather than fuel confrontation or economic warfare.
Meanwhile, the United States has been pressing its Group of Seven partners to step up pressure on Russia by imposing tariffs on both India and China, which remain among Moscow’s largest energy customers. Washington believes that cutting off this revenue stream is essential to weakening Russia’s ability to sustain its war in Ukraine, but the strategy risks straining relations with two of the world’s largest economies and key global players.
