Ukraine supporters in the Senate said they have more bipartisan momentum than ever to push stronger sanctions on Russia. All they need is for Senate leaders to call a vote.
Ukraine carried out airstrikes earlier this week that destroyed more than 43 bomber planes deep within Russia. The success and scale of the strikes, dubbed “Operation Spiderweb,” are helping to build more support for Ukraine among members of the U.S. Senate considering heavier sanctions on Russia, the top backers said.
“We have growing momentum,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal told NOTUS. “The only question is when we’ll have the vote.”
A bipartisan group of senators attended a meeting Wednesday morning with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and other delegates from Ukraine. The delegates showed maps of where Ukraine has held ground, shared stories about kidnapped Ukrainian children and presented a video of the recent Ukrainian drone strike.
Blumenthal said he was “more encouraged than ever” about sanctions. He and Sen. Lindsey Graham, who co-hosted the delegation, have 81 co-sponsors on a bill that would turn up the heat on Russia with new sanctions and a 500% tariff on imported goods from countries that buy Russian oil and gas. Republican Sen. Jerry Moran was the latest to sign on as a co-sponsor on Tuesday.
In what’s being hailed as one of the most successful special operations strikes by either side in the war, Ukraine on Sunday destroyed more than 43 bomber planes. Ukrainian special forces deployed quadcopter drones from within a false roof of shipping containers sent by freight to locations close to airfields across the country. The container roofs opened, sending explosives-equipped drones out across airfields before self-destructing.
“What it shows is that nowhere in Russia is safe,” Blumenthal said. “There’s no safe place in Russia.” He isn’t the only one impressed.
“It was remarkable and historic,” Sen. Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told NOTUS. “I wonder what else our Ukrainian friends have been working on.”
Russia is expected to retaliate. After an hourlong conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump wrote that Russia and Ukraine were no closer to “an immediate peace.” Putin is preparing to retaliate against Ukraine for its drone attacks on Russian airfields, according to Trump.
The president has yet to indicate whether he supports further sanctions on Russia. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday evening that he’s waiting on word from the White House before bringing the sanctions bill up for a vote.
“They’re still hopeful they’ll be able to strike some sort of a deal,” Thune said of the White House. “But as you might expect, there’s a high level of interest here in the Senate, on both sides of the aisle, in moving on it. It very well could be something that we would take up in this work period.”
Thune said that he and his colleagues have “a genuine interest in doing something to make clear to Russia that they need to get to the table.”
Sen. Mark Kelly said the sanctions would offer an opportunity for Trump to “excel at his job,” but he does not want to wait.
“My guess is, Thune wants to see some indication from the White House that they’re supportive, because they haven’t seen that yet,” Kelly told NOTUS. “I think we should forget about what the president wants. Let’s pass it and send it to his desk.”
Nearly all of the Senate Armed Services Committee members support new sanctions against Ukraine. Only three committee members — Sens. Jim Banks, Eric Schmitt, and Tammy Duckworth— have yet to sign on.
Senators outside the Armed Services Committee are also eager to see the sanctions put in place. Sen. Todd Young said Monday that he expects movement because of the successful strikes against Russia.
“I can’t imagine that there would be any residual opposition to bringing this sanctions bill to the floor in the wake of that encouraging news,” Young said.
Graham told reporters Wednesday that he’s pushing for quick action on the sanctions bill and thinks Trump will get on board.
“We need to move quickly,” Graham said. “It’s clear to me that Russia is playing games. They have no interest in peace. I think they’re stalling.”
Graham said he believes Trump is “going the last mile” to get to peace through negotiation.
“But I think he’s frustrated like everybody else,” Graham said.
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Helen Huiskes and John T. Seward are NOTUS reporters and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows.