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The White House is in ongoing discussions with Capitol Hill to amend a proposed sanctions bill targeting Russia, Fox News Digital has learned, and prefers that route over sanctions led by the executive branch.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced the legislation months ago and garnered 82 co-sponsors, but the Senate has delayed a vote to give President Donald Trump room to pursue a diplomatic settlement between Russia and Ukraine.
Now, with Trump increasingly skeptical of Vladimir Putin’s intentions to end the war, the bill could soon come to the floor. According to three sources familiar with the matter, talks between lawmakers and the White House are active, though no firm timeline has been set.
"The House has appetite to move it, too," said one congressional source.
Companion legislation has 70 House co-sponsors.
State Department policy planner Michael Anton has privately indicated to allies that the White House isn’t interested in imposing unilateral sanctions, but also won’t stand in the way of the Graham–Blumenthal legislation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a cabinet meeting via videoconference at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, June 4, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Behind the scenes, the White House is pushing for revisions that would grant the president greater discretion in enforcement. Specifically, officials are seeking to replace any "shall" with "may" in the bill’s text — a subtle but significant shift that would weaken mandatory enforcement.
"The White House, no matter who is there, always wants the bill watered down — it’s normal," the source said. "Whenever any committee, congressman or senator wants to do a sanctions bill, career officials always email back and say, ‘Change the ‘shall’ to ‘may.’"
SEN LINDSEY GRAHAM: RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL AIMS TO CHANGE PUTIN'S CALCULUS, PROTECT WORLD ORDER
The legislation would impose sweeping economic penalties, including 500% tariffs on any country that does business with Moscow, and sanctions on key Russian officials and entities.
Graham has acknowledged that revisions are likely, including potential carve-outs from the tariff provision for nations providing aid to Ukraine. The exception would offer relief to European allies that are still dependent on Russian energy.
"Why don’t we carve out for countries who are helping Ukraine?" Graham said in an interview with Semafor earlier in June. "If you’re providing military economic assistance to Ukraine, you get a carve-out. So China, if you don’t want to get sanctioned, help Ukraine."
President Donald Trump, left, and first lady Melania Trump attend the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press )
Trump, speaking candidly on a podcast published Wednesday, questioned whether Putin has any interest in ending the conflict.
"I’m starting to think maybe he doesn’t," Trump said when asked whether the Russian president minds losing thousands of soldiers in Ukraine each week.
On Capitol Hill, Trump’s top military advisors were pressed Wednesday on whether they believe Putin intends to halt his offensive.
"I don’t believe he is," said Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"Remains to be seen," added Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The European Union unveiled a fresh sanctions package, that still needs to be voted on, which would ban transactions with the Nord Stream energy pipelines.
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Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has imposed sweeping sanctions: cutting Russian banks off from the U.S. financial system, freezing over $300 billion in Kremlin assets, banning key technology exports, and blocking imports of Russian fuel.
